QUETTA: Eight people, including two Afghan women, were killed and three others injured in two separate shootings in Panjgur district on Monday.

Officials said the first firing incident took place in Chidgi, some 60km from Panjgur town, where armed motorcyclists, belonging to a banned organisation, opened fire at two vehicles passing through the area. “People traveling in the two vehicles returned fire and an exchange of fire ensued for some time,” Panjgur Deputy Commissioner Kabir Zarkoon said.

When the guns fell silent, he said, all six people travelling in the two vehicles were dead. Later, the armed men set fire to both vehicles and escaped.

Security forces and relatives of the deceased rushed to the area after receiving information. The families did not allow the bodies to be shifted to hospital for medico-legal formalities. The deceased were identified as Haji Dawood, Salim, Abdul Hameed, Haji Shahmir, Gahyas and Mehraj, who were residents of Nukker village, located near the Iranian border.

Officials said the attackers were over a dozen in number used heavy weapons, including rocket launchers, which proved fatal.

Meanwhile, officials said, security forces in the Prom area of Panjgur, close to the Iranian border, signalled two vehicles to stop, but one of the vehicles attempted to escape, compelling the personnel to open fire.

The shooting left two Afghan women dead, while three others were injured. Officials said that both the vehicles were carrying Afghan nationals, who illegally entered Pakistan and were attempting to cross the Iranian border for their onward journey to Europe.

The bodies and the injured were shifted to hospital, while security forces took the other Afghan nationals into custody.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2026