QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen shot dead three people, including a member of the Hindu community, in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Sunday, a police official said.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the killings in the restive region, where Baloch separatist groups have targeted security forces, foreigners, non-local tourists and travelers in the past.

The deceased men, including a Hindu trader, his friend and servant, had been on picnic at Harhnbo Dam in Naal area of Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, according to local police station in-charge Abdullah Pandrani. All three were residents of Khuzdar’s Wadh area.

“Their bodies were handed over to relatives,” Pandrani told Arab News. “The relatives of slain tourists didn’t say whether they had any enmity.”

The killings come days after coordinated attacks by the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) group in several districts across Balochistan that killed 36 civilians and 22 security personnel. Authorities said they had killed 216 militants in follow-up operations.
“Investigations are underway to ascertain motives behind the [latest] killings,” Pandrani added.

Balochistan, which borders Iran and Afghanistan, is the site of a decades-long insurgency waged by Baloch separatist groups who often attack security forces, foreigners and non-local Pakistanis and kidnap government officials.

Separatist militant groups blame Islamabad for exploiting Balochistan’s natural resources and denying locals a share in them. The military and civilian government reject these allegations and say they are investing in the province’s development.