QUETTA, June 11: Two local leaders of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) were gunned down in two attacks in Khuzdar on Tuesday.

The BNP-M leaders condemned what they termed target killings of their leaders and announced three days of mourning in the province.

Sources said the first incident took place in Khuzdar Bazaar where men on a motorcycle opened fire on Ali Akbar Mosiani, a district leader of the BNP-M.

A senior police officer told Dawn that Mr Mosiani died on the spot, having suffered multiple bullet wounds.

About half an hour later, Javed Baloch, another BNP-M leader, was attacked by gunmen on a motorbike. He suffered serious injuries. Police took him to hospital where he died after some time.

Police said the assailants had escaped.

They said no-one had claimed responsibility for the attack and they had no idea about the killers’ motive.

Meanwhile, BNP-M’s senior vice president Dr Jehanzeb Jamaldani said the killings, taking place three days after the formation of a coalition government headed by Dr Abdul Malik Baloch, indicated that invisible forces were not ready to end their anti-Baloch actions.

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, he said the Frontier Corps and intelligence agencies were neither sincere nor serious about addressing the issues faced by the people of Balochistan.