QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — A Pakistani police officer says unknown gunmen have shot dead eight people and injured one in an insurgency-hit part of southwestern Pakistan.
Senior police officer Bashir Brohi said Sunday the victims were laborers from eastern Punjab province who were abducted and shot while working in Baluchistan province’s poultry industry. Two locals were released unharmed.
Baluchistan is a sparsely populated province that is rich in mineral and gas resources province.
Baloch nationalists are demanding a greater share of economic proceeds from the area, while separatist groups have unleased a low-scale insurgency seeking complete autonomy. They have targeted people from outside the province on several occasions in an effort to push them out of the area.
Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
