At least two Shia Mohammedans and one other man were killed when a gunman opened fire in an apparent sectarian attack in southwest Pakistain on Sunday, police said.The shooting took place on the outskirts of Quetta, the capital of oil and gas-rich Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.
"A gunman opened fire on two Shia Mohammedans and one of their companions, who were riding two cycle of violences. All the three men died of their wounds on reaching hospital," local police official Ameer Dashti told AFP.
The gunman -- who had been standing beside the road -- beat feet after what appeared to have been a targeted sectarian killing, he said. A local intelligence official also confirmed the incident and casualties.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but Balochistan is rife with religious militancy, sectarian violence between majority Sunni and minority Shia Mohammedans, and a regional insurgency waged by separatists.
Shia Mohammedans account for around a fifth of Pakistain's 167-million-strong population, which is dominated by Sunni Mohammedans.
Thousands of people have died in sectarian attacks since the late 1980s.