Five tribesmen killed in firing attack in Qila Abdullah

QUETTA: Five tribesmen were killed and two others injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at a hotel in the Mezi Adda area of Qila Abdullah district late on Sunday night, officials said on Monday.

According to officials, the attackers opened fire at the hotel, after which police and other law enforcement personnel reached the scene and moved the dead and wounded to the district hospital. Hospital officials confirmed that five people had died in the attack.

The deceased were identified as Dad Mohammad, Abdul Mateen, Abdul Jabbar, Mohammad Raza and Islam. Hospital officials said all of them belonged to local tribes. The two injured were identified as Syed Jafar and Syed Jameel Ahmad.

Highway blocked in protest

After the bodies were shifted to hospital, relatives of the victims arrived there, took custody of the dead and staged a protest by placing the bodies on the Quetta-Chaman Highway. The blockade suspended traffic on the road, leaving hundreds of vehicles, including trucks, cars and passenger coaches, stranded on both sides of the highway.

Long lines of vehicles were seen as the protest cut off Chaman and Qila Abdullah districts from the rest of Balochistan. Tribal elders, along with leaders and workers of political parties, joined the sit-in. Residents also placed heavy boulders and barricades on the highway, halting movement and causing difficulties for people travelling between Quetta and Chaman.

The protesters raised slogans against the administration and demanded the immediate arrest of those behind the shooting. Senior officials and political leaders later held negotiations with the demonstrators.

Road reopened after talks

Following what officials described as successful talks, the protesters ended the sit-in and dispersed peacefully. Traffic on the Quetta-Chaman National Highway was subsequently restored.

Authorities have started an investigation into the attack, and efforts are under way to trace and arrest those involved in the shooting.