QUETTA, July 29: At least seven people were killed in what appeared to be a sectarian attack on the office of a private transport company on Sariab Road on Friday.

“The victims were waiting for a coach to go to Iran,” DIG  Hamid Shakeel said.

A person injured in the attack was quoted as saying that the victims had been brought to the office by a human trafficking agent, but sources said that they were pilgrims going to Iran to visit religious places.

The attackers came on a car, entered the office and started firing indiscriminately at people sitting in two rooms and escaped.

The deceased were identified as Abdul Nabi, Zagham Abbas, Syed Mohammad Raza, Asmatullah, Arif Hussain, Syed Qalbe Abbas and Maazallah. Ali Sher Haideri, a spokesman for the banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, claimed responsibility for the attack.—Staff Correspondent