Photograph by Levi Riendeau
Ten people have been killed in a targeted shooting in Quetta in south-west Pakistan, in a week that has also seen a suicide bomb which killed at least 48 people and the targeting of a bus by militants in the region.
It is reported that former Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) provincial minister Ali Madad Jatak may have been the target of today’s attack, with his car struck by a number of bullets. However, Jatak was unharmed with those killed and wounded coming out of the Sunni mosque after sunrise prayers for the Eid al-Fitr festival to celebrate the end of Ramadan. Two children were among those killed.
No group has yet claimed responsibility for the shooting.
Quetta has seen a rise in violence in recent months, with sectarian violence, a Taliban insurgency, and a rebellion by Baloch separatists all taking their toll on lives in the city.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was elected in June on a platform of peace and stability, with negotiations planned with all political parties and a number of militant groups. However, no all-party meeting has yet been scheduled.
