QUETTA: The Panjgur deputy commissioner was killed and four others injured in an attack on the Quetta-Karachi National Highway, near Mastung, on Monday, according to officials.

DC Zakir Hussain Baloch was on his way to Quetta along with the Panjgur Municipal Committee chairman when unknown assailants opened fire on his official vehicle near Khadkocha, Mastung.

According to security officials, at least 15 armed men had blocked the road and were checking vehicles passing through the area.

They also tried to stop the deputy commissioner’s vehicle and opened fire when it sped away.

Two officials were seriously injured in the attack and shifted to the Shaheed Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Memorial Hospital in Mastung, where Mr Baloch succumbed to his injuries, according to the hospital’s chief executive, Dr Saeed Ahmed.

The deceased was hit by bullets in the chest and stomach, which caused internal bleeding, resulting in his death, said Dr Ahmed.

The Panjgur Municipal Committee chairman, Abdul Malik Baloch, also received multiple bullet injuries and has been shifted to Quetta for treatment.

He is the younger brother of National Party Balochistan’s chapter president Rehmat Baloch.

Security forces have launched a search operation in the area to arrest the attackers. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.