Eight Shia Muslims were killed today when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying them in Pakistan's restive Balochistan province, in the latest case of targetted attack on the ethnic Hazara community.
The victims were travelling in a bus when two gunmen attacked them in Hazar Ganji area in provincial capital Quetta, days ahead of the holy month of Muharram.
The attack took place at a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of Pakistan's restive Baluchistan province.
Senior police officer Imran Qureshi told reporters that eight members of the Hazara community were killed one person injured in the attack.
"This is an act of targeted killing," he said.
The attackers escaped after the attack and police was searching for them.
The bodies were brought to the Bolan Medical Complex hospital where a large number of people had gathered.
Nobody took responsibility of the attack but Sunni militant groups such as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ) regularly targets the Shia community.
Shia Hazaras had been killed with impunity in the past. They are among the people who are badly hit by the violence.
At least 24 Hazara pilgrims were killed in June when their bus was targeted by suicide bombers.
Two devastating bombings in Quetta targeting the city's Shiites killed nearly 200 people last year and were claimed by militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which has links to Al-Qaeda.
Estimates show that the violence has driven as many as 200,000 Shia Hazaras to relocate to other major cities of Pakistan or move abroad.
