Hazara | Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Istehkam-i-Pakistan Party (IPP) President Abdul Aleem Khan on Saturday expressed support for the creation of Hazara province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, saying people across the country wanted new provinces to be created on administrative grounds. He said calls for the creation of Hazara province had been raised in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly since 2010, adding that it was encouraging that major political parties supported its establishment. In his statement, Khan said the IPP stood firmly behind the demand for Hazara province to help resolve people’s problems. He said the creation of South Punjab and Bahawalpur provinces was also important and that the IPP would extend its full support to the demands. Khan said calls were also being made for the creation of new provinces in Punjab and Sindh, as the rapid increase in population had made the creation of additional provinces an urgent need. “The creation of new provinces can help resolve public issues and improve administrative efficiency,” he added. ...

QUETTA: At least two people from the provincial capital’s Hazara community were killed and another three injured after unknown assailants opened fire on them on Sunday. Senior police officer Muhammad Khair Sumalani told Dawn that the men came under attack while they were travelling back to Hazara Town from the Hazarganji vegetable market. “Unidentified armed men riding motorcycles opened fire at their vehicle, killing two people on the spot and injuring three,” he said. The senior police official said that the incident appeared to be a “targeted killing”, adding that the police and Frontier Corps personnel rushed to the site soon after the incident. Civil Hospital Spokesperson Wasim Bag told Dawn that the hospital had received two bodies and three injured persons. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, and police have launched a search operation. The Hazara community blocked the Western Bypass to protest the incident, disrupting traffic. Administration and police were negotiating with the pro...