A Pakistani police officer stands outside the morgue. Picture used for illustrative purposes only. File/Reuters

The bullet-riddled bodies of five people were found hanging from an electric pole in southwestern Pakistan on Friday, government officials said.

The bodies were discovered early morning near a college in Dalbandin city, close to the borders with Afghanistan and Iran in Balochistan province, where militant groups have waged a long and bloody insurgency.

"Five bullet-ridden bodies were found hanging from an electric pylon," Attiq Shahwani, a senior government official in the area, told the media.

"They have been shifted to a local hospital. Doctors have ascertained that the cause of death is multiple bullet wounds, mostly in the chest area."

He said the men were likely killed on Thursday.

No missing persons reports were registered with local police and the men had not yet been identified, he added.

Balochistan, Pakistan's least province, is home to several militant groups, some fighting for independence or a greater share of the region's mineral resources, with security forces often the target of bombings.

Agence France-Presse