A religious scholar was shot dead in Dalbandin town of Chagai district, Balochistan, in what authorities suspect may be part of a growing pattern of targeted killings in the province.
According to police, the body of Maulana Ahsanullah Mengal was recovered from the Amin Abad area of Dalbandin. Officials said the scholar had been shot dead by unknown assailants.
The body was shifted to a local hospital for medico-legal formalities, while police launched an investigation to determine the circumstances surrounding the killing.
Authorities said the motive behind the attack could not be immediately ascertained, though security sources indicated that the banned militant organisation Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) may be involved.
Pattern of attacks
The killing comes amid a series of attacks targeting religious figures and community leaders in Balochistan.
Earlier on February 5, 2026, Maulana Younas Harooni, brother of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) Chagai Amir, was also shot dead in Dalbandin.
In April 2025, a JUI leader and ward councillor Abdullah was killed in Kalat district when his vehicle struck a landmine planted by the banned BLA.
Several other targeted killings were reported in March 2025, including the assassination of Mufti Shah Meer Aziz, who was shot dead inside a mosque in Turbat. In separate incidents, Wadera Ghulam Sarwar and Molvi Amanullah were also killed in Khuzdar.
Intellectuals and educators also targeted
Sources say terrorists groups have increasingly targeted religious scholars, teachers, and government officials across Balochistan.
Last year, Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Turbat Hidayat Ullah was killed in an attack claimed by militants.
Similarly, on January 6, Dilawar Khan, a lecturer at the University of Balochistan’s Kharan sub-campus, was killed in a targeted armed attack allegedly carried out by the BLA.
Analysts and security sources say the attacks appear to be part of a broader campaign targeting religious figures, educators, bureaucrats by BLA and TTP.
Police have launched an investigation into the latest killing in Dalbandin.
