Two local cricketers from the Christian community were shot dead on Wednesday by unidentified armed men while they were playing a match at a cricket ground near the Shamsabad crossing in Mastung district, Balochistan.
According to police officials, the attackers, who were riding on motorcycles, opened fire on the ground while the game was underway. The sudden assault triggered widespread panic, forcing players and spectators to flee the venue for their safety.
“Two cricketers belonging to the Christian community sustained multiple bullet injuries and died on the spot,” said a local administration official. The assailants managed to escape the scene immediately after the shooting.
Upon receiving information about the incident, police and other law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area to begin collecting forensic evidence. The bodies of the victims were subsequently shifted to the district headquarters hospital for legal and medical formalities.
The families of the deceased and members of the local Christian community staged a protest, blocking the Quetta-Karachi National Highway in front of the Shaheed Nawab Ghaus Bakhsh Raisani Hospital.
They placed the victims’ bodies on the road, demanding immediate action against the culprits. The protest resulted in a major traffic gridlock, with long queues of vehicles forming on both sides, causing severe hardship for commuters. The demonstration was eventually called off after successful negotiations between the protesters and the district administration.
As of now, investigations into the motive behind the targeted killings are going on. Law enforcement authorities have initiated a search operation in the surrounding areas to track down the fleeing suspects.
