Seven people, including a tribal leader, were killed in Pakistan’s restive Balochistan province after armed men opened fire at the vehicle they were travelling in, police said on Friday.

Levies Forces, a paramilitary gendarmerie in Balochistan province, said the incident took place on Thursday in Murgha Kibzai, situated around 80 kilometres from Zhob town.

The seven people who died included tribal leader Ahmed Khan Kibzai and his two brothers, police said.

Kibzai, his brothers and four others were travelling in a vehicle, when armed men opened fire at them using automatic weapons, they said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police said Kibzai had enmity with locals, which could have been a possible cause for his death.

The deteriorating law and order situation in Balochistan province has further complicated the problems for the federal government, which is trying to fix Pakistan’s febrile economy.

In recent times, the Balochistan Liberation Army has joined hands with the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in launching a slew of terror attacks across Pakistan.

In November last year, the TTP called off an indefinite ceasefire agreed with the government in June 2022 and ordered its militants to carry out attacks on the security forces.

Pakistan hoped that the Afghan Taliban after coming to power in Kabul would stop the use of their soil against Pakistan by expelling the TTP operatives, but they have apparently refused to do so at the cost of straining ties with Islamabad.

The outfit, which is believed to be close to Al-Qaeda, has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.