Six labourers gunned down in Balochistan

quetta — Unknown gunmen shot dead six labourers in a remote southwestern Pakistani town, officials said on Friday, in the latest bout of violence to rock the restive region.

The murders took place overnight in Lajjey, about 170km from Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province, where militants — including the outlawed Taleban — and some other terrorist groups are active.

“Unidentified gunmen shot dead six labourers and wounded another, who is in critical condition,” local government official Hashim Ghilzai said.

The labourers, from eastern Punjab province, were working on a mobile tower and were sleeping in tents at the site when the gunmen attacked, Ghilzai said, adding that “it appeared to be an act of terror”. Local security

Unidentified gunmen shot dead six labourers and wounded another, who is in critical condition

Hashim Ghilzai, a govt official

official Tariq-ur-Rehman confirmed the incident and casualties. No group has claimed responsibility for the killings, but Balochistan is home to sectarian militants and other terrorist groups.

Terrorists have previously targeted ethnic Punjabi and Sindhi labourers, who are largely considered outsiders in many parts of the province and viewed with deep suspicion. Hundreds of soldiers and militants have been killed since the insurgency flared up in the mid-2000s. —