Unidentified gunmen, on Monday, opened fire on a vehicle, killing at least five members of a minority Shia Hazara family, in Pakistan's Balochistan province in the latest bout of sectarian violence in the restive region.
The militants attacked the vehicle on Kasi road in Quetta, the province’s capital.
It was a targeted killing incident against the Hazaras who are frequently attacked in the area by Taliban-linked militants, police said.
"Five persons were killed and one was injured," they said.
The attackers were on motorbikes and fled after the incident, police said, adding that further investigations are underway.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Balochistan has witnessed violence against Hazaras for more than a decade-and-a-half by militants who consider them ‘heretics’.
Chief Minister of Balochistan Sanaullah Zehri condemned the incident and ordered an inquiry.
The Hazaras are a part of the Shia community; they live in Balochistan and Afghanistan. They have been often targeted by Sunni militants.
This is not the first time that the Hazaras have been targeted by extremist outfits in Balochistan. In the last few years, hundreds of Hazaras have been killed in either suicide bomb attacks, planted bomb blasts or targeted killings.
Official reports say that there have been around 1,200 incidents of violence against the Hazara community overe the last 15 years.
In September, four members of a Shia Hazara family, including a 12- year-old boy, were killed by unidentified gunmen, in Balochistan.
In July, gunmen killed 4 members of a Shia family in the Mastung area.
In October, last year, gunmen opened fire on a bus carrying Hazara men and women in Quetta. Four women were killed in that attack.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)