A well-known Hindu doctor was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the restive Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan on Thursday, police said.

Lakshmi Chand was going home when two gunmen riding a motorcycle fired at him in Mastung town, police officials said. Chand was killed instantly and the gunmen fled from the spot. Police sent the body for an autopsy and registered a case.

The motive for the killing could not be immediately ascertained.

Members of the minority Hindu community in Balochistan have been targeted by criminal gangs and extremists in recent months.

Several Hindus, mostly petty traders, have been kidnapped for ransom.