Balochistan National Party (BNP) leader Malik Naveed Dehwar and his guard were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire at the vehicle in Quetta's Arbab Karam Khan Road area on Thursday afternoon, police said. Another man identified as Haji Essa was also injured in the attack. The assailants escaped unhurt after spraying bullets at Dehwar's car, killing him on the spot. The injured were rushed to Quetta Civil Hospital's trauma centre for treatment.
Police and personnel of other law enforcement agencies reached the scene as an investigation into the incident went underway. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet. Meanwhile, the BNP has strongly condemned the killing of its leader and urged the government to arrest the killers. Malik Naveed Dehwar was a local leader of BNP, which is led by Sardar Akhtar Mengal, the former chief minister of Balochistan.
Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Zehri also strongly condemned the incident and directed the police to arrest the culprits behind the killings. The incident came hours after unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in Panjgur area, with the minister and his aides remaining unharmed in the incident. According to report, unidentified assailants attacked the convoy of Balochistan Health Minister Rehmat Saleh Baloch in Panjgur town on Thursday, however, the minister and his aides remained unharmed in the incident.
The minister, who belongs to National Party, was targeted while he was travelling to Prom area from Panjgur, Assistant Commissioner Panjgur Abdul Jabbar said. Sources said that Rehmat Baloch was going to address a public meeting in his constituency in Panjgur. Levies sources said the militants used various weapons including rockets in the attack. However, the assailants escaped the scene when Levies personnel opened retaliatory fire. Upon receiving reports of the incident, Levies and Frontier Corps (FC) officials sealed the area and started a search operation. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.