Daily Times

Bodies of nine passengers, who were gunned down in Noshki, Balochistan yesterday as they were on their way from Quetta to Iran for their onward journey to Europe, have been sent to their towns and cities in Punjab on Sunday.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner Dera Ghazi Khan Shahid Zaman and Commandant Border Military Force Muhammad Asad Khan received the bodies at Punjab, Balochistan border. Before sending the bodies, funeral prayers for the deceased were offered in Quetta. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti, inspector general of police, Balochistan and other senior officials of the provincial government offered the prayers.

Two passengers give eyewitnesses’ account

Zahid Imran and Tahir, two passengers from Punjab, who fortunately remained safe, have told reporters that the assassins stopped the coach, entered it and then asked “who were the passengers who belonged to Punjab and who were the ones who were locals?” Then they separated the Punjabis from the rest of the passengers, whisked them away, and shot them dead. Imran and Tahir informed that the gunmen did not ask them about their ethnic backgrounds because the women sitting on the seats next to them told the gunmen that they were accompanying them.

On the other hand, the people of Balochistan have strongly condemned the killings of unarmed and innocent passengers from Punjab at the hands of Baloch militants. Terrorists have no religion, no ethnicity, they have said, adding that a group of terrorists is bent upon bringing a bad name to the Baloch people and creating obstacles in the way of progress and prosperity of the province.

Balochistan CM rules out talks with militants

Vowing to avenge the killings of nine civilians, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti has said categorically that there could be no talks with the people who indulge in acts of violence. “We will hunt them down and punish them,” the CM said, adding that the provincial government was reviewing the security plan. As many as 11 people, including nine passengers, were killed in two separate attacks in Noshki district of Balochistan late Friday night. Sources in the police informed that over a dozen armed assailants first made nine passengers travelling from Quetta to Taftan on the National Highway disembark from the coach, then kidnapped them before shooting all of them dead.

Later their bodies were found dumped under a flyover. They disclosed that the deceased belonged to Mandi Bahauddin, Gujranwala and Wazirabad areas of Punjab. Of total nine passengers who lost their lives in the Noshki incident, six belonged to Chak Fateh Shah village of Mandi Bahauddin district of Punjab. A man and his nephew are also among the dead. The deceased had left their village for Iran only three days before Eidul Fitr. Family members of the slain passengers have demanded the authorities to send their bodies to the native village as early as possible. They have demanded strict action against the assassins and their backers. Similarly one of the passengers, who was shot dead, belonged to Chorra area of Wazirabad. Wasiq had left his native town three days before Eid. All these passengers had to travel to Europe via Iran. Sources have said that in yet another incident in Noshki, two persons were killed while five were injured when unidentified men opened fire at a car on the National Highway when the driver failed to apply brakes. According to the SP Noshki, MNA’s brother was among those injured in the attack.