Gunmen assassinate election candidate in southwest Pakistan in latest attack ahead of election

QUETTA, Pakistan – A government official says gunmen have killed a politician running for a provincial assembly seat in southwestern Pakistan.

Saeed Ahmad says Abdul Fatah Magsi was gunned down on Tuesday in Jhal Magsi, about 350 kilometers (220 miles) southeast of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province.

Ahmad says the candidate's supporters fired back and killed two of the gunmen. He says the attack seemed to be the result of a political rivalry.

Ahmad says the election in the constituency has been postponed, which is mandatory whenever a candidate is killed. National and provincial assembly elections are scheduled to take place across the country on May 11.

Baluchistan is home to both Islamic militants and separatists who have been waging a bloody insurgency against the government for decades.