Unidentified gunmen opened indiscriminate fire on a vehicle, killing four members of a minority Shia Hazara family, including a 12-year-old boy, in Pakistan's Balochistan, the latest bout of sectarian violence to rock the restive region.
Eight members of the community, including two women, were coming to Quetta from Chaman town on the Afghan border when the attack took place late Sunday in the Kuchlak area.
The vehicle had stopped at a petrol station for refuelling. In the meantime, two men on a motorcycle opened indiscriminate fire on them, killing three persons on the spot and injuring three others, including the boy, the Express Tribune reported.
While two women travelling with them remained unhurt as they were sitting in the vehicle when the attackers opened fire on the men who were standing outside.
The injured were taken to the Civil Hospital in Quetta, where the boy succumbed to his injuries, police said.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sanaullah Zehri expressed grief at the incident and strongly condemned the terrorist attack. He directed authorities that the culprits should be arrested and brought to justice.
The Hazaras are party of Shia community who live in Balochistan and Afghanistan. They have been often targeted by the Sunni militants.
This is not the first time that the Hazaras has been targeted by extremist outfits in Balochistan. In the last few years hundreds of Hazaras have been killed in either suicide bomb attacks, planted bomb blasts or target killings.
Official reports say that there have been around 1200 incidents of violence against the Hazara community in the last 15 years.
In July, gunmen killed 4 members of a Shia family in the Mastung area.
In October last year, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Hazara men and women in Quetta. Four women were killed in that attack.
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