QUETTA: A senior leader of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M), Agha Khalid Shah, was shot dead by unidentified assailants in Quetta on Saturday, while his cousin was injured in the attack.

Police officials said the incident occurred in the Killi Geo area on Kirani Road when armed attackers on motorcycles opened fire on Mr Shah and his cousin as they passed through the area. Both men sustained multiple gunshot wounds.

“Agha Khalid Shah and his cousin were both critically injured in the attack,” a police official said, adding that they were rushed to Civil Hospital Quetta, where Mr Shah later died of wounds.

The attackers fled the scene immediately after the shooting. The injured man, identified as Gharib Shah, remains hospitalised.

Police launch manhunt for attackers

Agha Khalid Shah was a senior BNP-M figure and a member of the party’s central committee. Police have not yet determined the motive behind the attack. “We are investigating the tragic incident,” a senior police officer said, adding that efforts were underway to trace the perpetrators.

Mr Shah’s body was handed over to his family after the completion of medico-legal formalities.

Upon hearing of the attack, a large number of BNP workers and supporters gathered at the hospital to mourn the loss of their leader.

Ghulam Nabi Marri, a member of BNP’s Central Executive Committee and president of the party’s Quetta chapter, announced that Mr Shah’s funeral prayers would be held on Sunday (today) at Killi Geo.

Mr Marri condemned the killing, stating that the party would not forget Mr Shah’s sacrifices. He also called for the immediate arrest of the attackers and their swift prosecution.

Published in Dawn, September 29th, 2024