QUETTA: A local journalist was gunned down late on Saturday night in a drive-by shooting Musakhail area of Balochistan, police said on Sunday.

Lala Israfeel, a reporter for a private TV channel, was outside his shop in the town of Musakhail when attackers on a motorcycle opened fire, killing him at the scene, police said.

Israfeel suffered multiple gunshot wounds, according to officials at the district hospital where his body was shifted. Later, the authorities handed over the body to his family and registered a murder case.

The motive for the attack remains unclear, and police said Israfeel had reported no recent threats. No group has immediately claimed responsibility for the killing.

The Balochistan Union of Journalists (BUJ) condemned the attack, stating the murder has caused “serious concern and distress within the journalistic community”.

In a joint statement, BUJ President Manzoor Ahmed Rind and General Secretary Shah Hussain Tareen expressed their grief and demanded immediate action from Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti and Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove.

It called for investigation from all angles, determine the motives behind the killing, and bring those responsible to justice at the earliest. The organisation will soon announce its future course of action regarding the incident.

Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026