QUETTA: Five tribesmen were killed and two others injured in an armed attack in the Mezi Adda area of Qila Abdullah district, officials said on Monday.

Officials said unidentified gunmen opened fire late on Sunday night at a hotel in Mezi Adda, killing five tribesmen and injuring two others.

Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies rushed to the site after receiving information about the firing and shifted the bodies and injured to the district hospital.

Hospital officials confirmed five deaths and identified the deceased as Dad Mohammad, Abdul Mateen, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammad Raza and Islam. All belonged to local tribes. Two others, Syed Jafar and Syed Jameel Ahmad, sustained injuries in the attack.

Bereaved family blocks Quetta-Chaman Highway in protest, disrupting traffic

Family members of the deceased also reached the hospital, took custody of the bodies and staged a protest by placing the bodies on the Quetta-Chaman Highway, blocking the road and suspending traffic.

Hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, cars and passenger coaches, were stranded on both sides of the highway. Long queues of vehicles were witnessed as the blockade cut off Chaman and Qila Abdullah districts from the rest of Balochistan.

Tribal elders, as well as leaders and workers of political parties, joined the protest sit-in. Residents of the area placed heavy boulders and barricades on the highway, preventing traffic from moving and causing severe difficulties for travellers commuting between Quetta and Chaman.

The protesters chanted slogans against the administration and demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the attack.

Negotiations were later held with the protesters by senior officials and political leaders.

Following successful talks, the protesters called off the sit-in and dispersed peacefully. The Quetta-Chaman National Highway was subsequently reopened to traffic.

Authorities have launched an investigation into the incident, while efforts are underway to trace and arrest those involved in the deadly shooting.

Published in Dawn, June 2nd, 2026