QUETTA, Sept 13: An officer of the provincial agriculture department was shot dead by four assailants here on Tuesday. According to police, the deceased, Ayaz Bungash, was going to his office. When he was near the Sariab Mills, four unidentified people opened fire on him. He died on the spot while the accused escaped on their motor-bikes.

A police officer described it as a sectarian incident and said that law-enforcement personnel were making concerted efforts to apprehend the killers. Mumtaz Bangash, brother of the deceased, said their family had no enmity with anyone.

Sympathizers and relatives of Ayaz Bangash, later took out a procession that went to the provincial police headquarter. They demanded arrest of the assailants. They, however, dispersed peacefully following an assurance from the police that the killers would soon be nabbed.