The attack came at a shrine of the Zikri community in Awaran district
Zikris are relatively a new sect of Muslims in Pakistan who worship in groups at shrines. (Photo: PTI)
Quetta: Gunman opened fire on worshippers at a shrine in southwest Pakistan, killing at least six members of a minority Islamic sect and wounding seven other people, officials said on Friday. The attack came at a shrine of the Zikri community in Awaran district, around 650 km southwest of Quetta, the capital of restive Balochistan province.
Oil and gas rich Balochistan is wracked by a separatist insurgency, Islamist militants and sectarian violence and attacks on minority groups are not uncommon.
“Three gunman came on two motorbikes and fired at the worshippers, praying at sunset. At least six people have been killed and seven others are injured,” Akbar Harifal, the senior administration official in the area, told AFP.
“The gunmen escaped after the attack.” Provincial home secretary Akbar Hussain Durrani also confirmed the attack. Zikris are relatively a new sect of Muslims in Pakistan who worship in groups at shrines and on mountains in remote, sparsely populated Balochistan.
( Source : AFP )
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