3 gunned down in Quetta, Hub and

Occupied Balochistan: QUETTA: Three people were shot dead and a teenager was injured in two separate incidents of firing in Quetta and Hub town on Wednesday. According to sources, two people were sitting outside a shop when unidentified armed motorcyclists opened fire at them and managed to flee. As a result, Farooq and Asad died on the spot while a 15-year-old passer-by Sanaullah was injured. The dead bodies and the injured teenager were shifted to a nearby hospital. The bodies were handed over to their family for burial after an autopsy was conducted. Police registered a case and have started investigation. Separately, a barber was gunned down in the Gushabad area. According to sources, Allahditta was standing outside his shop when unidentified armed men fired at him, resulting in his instant death.


Four people kidnapped in Balochistan


* Transporters stage protest against abduction of truck drivers, demand release


QUETTA: Four people were kidnapped in two separate incidents on the national highway in the Dahadar and Baktiarabad areas of Balochistan on Wednesday.


According to details, unidentified men intercepted a truck loaded with rice, which was travelling from Punjab to Quetta, and kidnapped driver Muhammad Yousaf and cleaner Nazir Ahmed at gunpoint. The incident occurred in the Dhaddar area, which is notorious for robberies and kidnappings.


In another incident in the Dhaddar area, a truck was intercepted by unidentified men. They kidnapped driver Rehmatullah and his assistant Abdul Samad. Levies Force reached the spot and started investigation. Separate cases were registered of both the incidents. The law enforcement agencies started a search operation to track down the culprits. Both the incidents were suspected to be linked to each other and to kidnapping for ransom, officials told Daily Times. Afterwards, a large number of transporters held a protest against the kidnappings and blocked the national highway for several hours. They chanted anti-government slogans and complained that such incidents had become a routine. The protesters criticised the government for failing to prevent the life and property of citizens. They complained that the government had failed to control the law and order situation in the province.


The protesters also chanted slogans against police and said that the law enforcement agencies had failed to reduce the crime rate. Due to the protest, a long queue of vehicles was witnessed, which caused an inconvenience for many passengers including women and children. The protesters were also joined by the passengers who demanded the immediate release of the truck drivers.


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