QUETTA: Two men belonging to the Hazara Shia community lost their lives in an incident of targeted killing in Sariab here on Monday.

According to police, Mohammad Nabi and Ghulam Nabi were fired upon by gunmen when they were travelling in a rickshaw.

They had come to the city from Mach in a passenger wagon and were going home. Two gunmen intercepted the rickshaw near the Govern­ment Degree College in Sariab and opened fire on the duo.

Mohammad Nabi and Ghulam Nabi died on the spot as they were hit by several bullets. However, the rickshaw driver remained unhurt.

Police shifted the bodies to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem and handed them over to relatives later.

“It was an incident of targeted killing on sectarian grounds,” a senior police officer said.

Police have registered a case against unidentified assailants.

No one has claimed responsibility for the incident so far.

Security forces have launched a search operation in Sariab and other areas and taken some suspects into custody for interrogation.

In another incident, a man was killed and his brother suffered injuries in an armed clash between two groups of residents of Goharabad on the outskirts of the city.

Police sources said that the clash erupted over a dispute involving children and left the two brothers injured. They were taken to the Bolan Medical College Hospital Complex where Mohammad Ejaz Magsi died and Mohammad Yaseen was admitted.

Police have registered a case but made no arrest.

Published in Dawn, August 2nd, 2016