Islamabad [Pakistan], May 28 (ANI): At least five people were killed and three others injured after unidentified armed men opened indiscriminate fire on a group of locals in the Shahrag area of Balochistan's Harnai district, Ary News reported, citing local police.

According to police, the armed assailants had set up a picket near Sheikh Musa Baba Chowk and were checking the Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) of passersby.

According to Ary News, the police said an altercation broke out when some locals resisted the checking, following which the unidentified gunmen opened fire on the crowd.

Four people died on the spot, while another critically injured victim succumbed to injuries while being shifted to Quetta for medical treatment.

The deceased have been identified as Zaman Shah, Zia-ul-Haq, Abdul Qahir, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI) leader Maulvi Zahid Shah, and Ikramullah Shah.

The injured were identified as Nasir Shah, Mullah Samad, and Saqib Shah.

The bodies and injured were shifted to Shahrag Hospital, where the wounded were provided initial medical treatment before being referred to Quetta for further care, Ary News reported.

Earlier, a newlywed couple was brutally gunned down in Karachi on Monday. The deadly ambush occurred moments after they exited a local courtroom to validate their marriage, Dawn reported.

The victims were returning from their legal proceedings when armed attackers pursuing their vehicle intercepted them. The suspects unleashed a volley of bullets in the Saudabad locality near the RCD playground, according to Korangi Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Fida Hussain Janwari.

Prior to the targeted execution, the bride's relatives had approached law enforcement to register a missing person's case. Dawn reported that the woman's family had lodged a complaint at Sachal Police Station over her disappearance.

Defying her family's orthodox pressures, the woman had actively defended her marital choice before judicial authorities. She recorded a statement before the Malir court that she had married of her own free will. The couple had also submitted their Nikahnama in court to prove their union was legal.

The brazen daylight assault left no room for survival. 'The couple suffered critical injuries and died on the spot,' the senior police official confirmed regarding the immediate aftermath of the shooting.

A preliminary investigation has laid bare the direct involvement of the woman's immediate household in orchestrating the killings. SSP Janwari added that the suspected assailants had been identified as the woman's relatives, and concerted efforts were underway to arrest them.

The deceased originally belonged to Sindh's Dadu district. They had relocated to the volatile urban sprawl of Karachi, specifically residing in the Sachal Goth neighbourhood, in a desperate bid to build a life together.

The extreme nature of the gun violence was corroborated by the local medical examination. Dawn reported, citing Police Surgeon Sumaiyya Syed, that the couple, the husband aged 26 and the wife aged 20, had sustained multiple gunshot injuries and were brought dead to the hospital. (ANI)