A senior officer of Sui Southern Gas Pipelines Limited (SSGC) was shot dead in broad daylight in Quetta on Tuesday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Unidentified gunmen sprayed bullets on the car of SSGC Deputy Director Munir Ahmad Lehri at Mannu Jan Road in the provincial capital, killing him on the spot.

The police rushed to the crime scene, collected evidence and shifted the dead body to a nearby hospital for further medico-legal procedures.

The gruesome incident two days after unknown armed men blew up a pipeline supplying gas to Quetta late on Sunday night. The incident occurred near Mach, in Bolan district.

Miscreants planted explosives under the pipeline and detonated it with remote control, resulting in suspension of gas supply to a vast area.

The miscreants used IED for blowing up the 12-inch pipeline.

A spokesperson for the Sui Southern Gas Company confirmed the blast, saying that gas supply was suspended to various areas of the province, including Quetta, for “a brief period”.

The company restored gas supply to the affected area immediately through an 18-inch pipeline, the spokesperson added. “The powerful explosion damaged a big portion of the pipeline. Engineers and other staff were dispatched to the area to replace the damaged pipeline,” he added.

Reporter Essa Tarin