Gunmen kill 7 workers near Pakistan's Gwadar Port

Unknown gunmen killed seven barbershop workers on Thursday (May 9) in Surbandar, Gwadar. The gunmen entered their residential quarters and opened fire on them, local police said. One person was injured. The port city is located in the troubled southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Afghanistan and Iran.

Police official Mohsin Ali said the gunmen stormed into a house some 25 km east of the port city and shot and killed the labourers in their sleep.

Gwadar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zohaib Mohsin told Pakistan-based Dawn.com that the incident took place at approximately 3:00 am (local time), He added that the victims worked at a barber shop in Surbandar.

The media outlets also revealed a list of casualties, which was shared by the SSP. The victims hailed from Punjab's Khanewal and Lodhran districts, while the injured belong to Mian Channu, Khanewal.

So far, no one has claimed responsibility.

As quoted by the news agency AFP, Muhammad Mohsin, a senior police official in Gwadar, said, "We are investigating the matter at the moment but apparently it looks like they were attacked because they were Punjabis."

Baloch separatist militants have in the past targeted labourers from eastern Punjab province, like the ones in the latest shooting.

Last month, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed the killing of nine labourers from Punjab province, who were abducted and then shot at close range after gunmen stopped a bus.

(With inputs from agencies)