Eight killed in gun attack in Pakistani city of Quetta

Children were among those wounded in the shooting

At least eight people were killed when gunmen opened fire outside a mosque in the second attack in Quetta in south-west Pakistan in as many days.

About 15 others were wounded in the attack, which came as worshippers left the Sunni Muslim mosque after sunrise prayers for the Eid al-Fitr festival.

Bullets hit the car of Ali Madad Jatak, a former Pakistan People's Party provincial minister, but he was unhurt.

On Thursday dozens of people died in a suicide bomb blast in Quetta.

In the latest attack, four unidentified men opened fire on the former minister during the prayers, according to the Dawn News website.

Mr Jatak held a ministerial role in the Balochistan provincial government, as a representative of the PPP, which headed the last national coalition government.

No group has said it carried out the shooting, which took place near Quetta's eastern bypass.

The shooting took place as worshippers were leaving a mosque after prayers

Four people died at the scene while the others succumbed to their injuries in hospital, a senior local police official, Bashir Ahmad Brohi told the AFP news agency.

Quetta has seen a recent surge in sectarian violence, mostly targeting the Shia Muslim minority.

Balochistan, of which Quetta is the provincial capital, is plagued not just by the Taliban's insurgency, but also by sectarian in-fighting between Sunnis and Shias and a rebellion by Baloch separatists.

On Tuesday militants from the separatist Baloch Liberation Army shot dead 13 bus passengers 70 kilometres (44 miles) south-east of Quetta.

The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif came to power in June after promising to negotiate with militant groups.

Officials said they were preparing a comprehensive security strategy, bringing together delegates from all political parties, in an effort to combat violent extremism.

However the strategy has not yet been released, and no all-party meeting has yet been scheduled.