Pakistani leader shot dead in Quetta

Islamabad July 6 (IANS) A Pakistani party leader was killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire at his vehicle in Quetta city of Balochistan province on Thursday afternoon the police said.

Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Malik Naveed Dehwar was killed and his guard Haji Essa was injured in the attack Dawn online reported.

The assailants escaped after spraying bullets at Dehwar s car killing him on the spot.

The injured guard was rushed to Quetta Civil Hospital s trauma centre for treatment.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

The BNP has strongly condemned Dehwar s killing and urged the government to arrest the killers.

Dehwar was a local leader of the BNP which is led by Sardar Akhtar Mengal former Chief Minister of Balochistan.

Chief Minister Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also condemned the attack and directed the police to arrest the culprits.

The incident came hours after unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in Panjgur area. The minister and his aides however were uninjured in the attack.

Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings for over a decade.

The largest province of the country by area it is home to a low-level insurgency by ethnic Baloch separatists.

Al Qaeda-linked and sectarian militants also operate in the region. The province shares borders with Afghanistan and Iran.

--IANS
py/vt