QUETTA, Pakistan, April 14 (UPI) -- At least seven members of the Hazara community in Quetta, Pakistan, were killed Saturday, continuing sectarian violence in the city.
Six people traveling in a taxi were killed when gunmen on motorcycles fired into the vehicles, The Express Tribune reported. In two other incidents, a police officer and a Hazara man were gunned down.
Angry Hazaras took to the streets, setting cars on fire and in one case firing shots in the air. Leaders called a strike aimed at tying up the city.
The Hazara are a Persian-speaking ethnic group in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where most live in Quetta near the Afghan border. They are mostly Shiite Muslims, which makes them a religious minority as well.
Balochistan Gov. Zulfiqar Ali Magsi met with leaders of the Hazara Democratic Party.
"I don't know what the government is doing," he said. "The situation is slipping out of control. Target killings are happening on a daily basis despite the presence of paramilitary Frontier Corps, Balochistan Constabulary and police."
A rise in targeted killings of Hazaras began several months ago. Six men, all shoemakers, were killed Monday when men on motorbikes set fire to their shop and began shooting.
