Gunmen have shot and killed a Pakistani regional political party leader in the city of Quetta, police in the southwestern province of Balochistan say.



Malik Naveed, 38, and his guard, Mohammad Zareef, 42, were shot while riding in a car by at least two gunmen on motorcycles along Quetta's Arbab Karam Khan Road, police Superintendent Ashraf Jattak said.



He said both men died as they were being transported to hospital.



A relative of Naveed's traveling in his car was wounded in the attack.



The assailants escaped unhurt, officials said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.



Naveed is a leader of the opposition Balochistan National Party, which advocates on behalf of region’s indigenous ethnic Baloch people.



Balochistan Province has been home to nationalist and separatist groups fighting against the central government.



Taliban, Al-Qaeda, and militants linked to the Islamic State (IS) militant group are also active in the region, which shares a border with Afghanistan and Iran.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Dawn