DADU, April 10: Two men were shot dead and three others sustained injuries when an armed group opened fire on a small congregation of people in Jamia Masjid in Kathia village late on Monday night.

Reports reaching here said that some unidentified armed men opened fire on a group of men who were delivering religious lecture at the Jamia Masjid late Monday night killing Rahmatullah Pathan (Quetta), Qambar Khan Pathan (NWFP) on the spot and injuring Taveez Gul, Saifullah and a villager Fazal Kathio.

The injured and dead bodies were moved to taluka hospital Khairpur Nathan Shah. The injured were later referred to Chandka Medical College Hospital Larkana.

Police, on the complaint of Mohammad Ramzan Kathio, brother of injured Fazal Kathio, registered an FIR against Ali Asghar Kathio, Ghulam Ali Janwari, Haji Khan Naich, Gulsher Naich and two unidentified men.

Ramzan Kathio stated in the FIR that a few days ago Asghar Kathio had kidnapped his close relative Khadija who was later recovered with the help of local people. Asghar had earlier threatened to kill them hence he attacked them when they were in the mosque.

But the leader of Tableeghi Jamaat Naimatullah Khan called it a targeted killing. And said that if the attack was motivated by an old enmity among local people why were they attacked, he said.

DPO of Dadu Nadir Hussain Khoso also dismissed the notion the attack was religiously motivated and said it neither an attack on a Masjid nor an act of terrorism but it was an offshoot of an old enmity.