A mosque and a madrassa were damaged in shelling by gunship helicopters in the Khadkucha area of Balochistan’s Mastung district on Friday morning, local residents said.
The shelling took place at around 6 a.m. in Kund Umrani and continued for nearly an hour.
Residents said the buildings of the mosque and madrassa were severely damaged. They said several copies of the Holy Quran inside the mosque were also affected during the shelling.
Local residents called for civilian areas, mosques and madrassas to be kept safe from military operations, saying the sanctity of places of worship and religious sites must be respected.
The mosque’s khateeb expressed regret over the incident and appealed to religious scholars to raise their voices for the protection of mosques and religious sites.