QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen on motorcycles killed four policemen, including a superintendent of police (SP), in Balochistan on Thursday, the latest attack to target authorities in the restive province.
Senior police official Abdul Razzaq Cheema told AFP that SP Mubarak Shah was on his way to the office in Quetta along with three police guards when the gunmen opened fire on their vehicle. “The attackers opened fire from different directions, killing Mubarak Shah and his three police guards,” Cheema said, adding that gunmen then fled the scene.
Mohammad Tayyab, a senior Quetta government official, confirmed the attack and casualties. Both described the incident as ‘an act of terrorism’. No group has yet claimed responsibility. The killing came four days after a bomb killed a high-profile police chief and his guard while wounding 11 others in Chaman, a tense border town in southwestern Balochistan. Islamic State group had reportedly claimed the Chaman attack.
President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have strongly condemned the tragic incident and expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the despicable attack.
They prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls and offered heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families. They also prayed for the swift recovery of the injured and directed the authorities concerned to provide all possible medical treatment to them.
Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Khan Zehri also condemned the firing incident.
Published in Daily Times, July 14th , 2017.
