9 passengers killed in Balochistan laid to rest in native towns

DERA GHAZI KHAN: The nine bodies of Balochistan incident were brought to Dera Ghazi Khan, shifted to their native towns on official ambulances and buried on Friday. 

The incident took place on Thursday evening on Dera-Quetta Road in the jurisdiction of Loralai district when unknown assailants intercepted two passenger coaches and killed nine, out of 13, abductees after checking their identities.

The deceased include two brothers Jabir Toor, son of Nazir Hussain of Lodhran, Usman Nazir, son of Nazir Hussain of Lodhran, Muhammad Irfan, son of Muhammad Akbar of DG Khan, Sabir Hussian, son of Muhammad Riaz of Kamoke, district Gujranwala, Muhammad Asif of Chowk Qureshi, Muzaffargarh, Ghulam Saeed, son of Ghulam Sarwar of Khanewal, Junaid of Lahore, Muhammad Bilal, son of Abdul Waheed of Attock and Bilawal of Gujrat.

Earlier, the bodies were brought to Baloch Levy Lines, where Deputy Commissioner Usman Khalid, DPO Syed Ali and Political Assistant Mohammad Asad Chandia were also present.

According to Loralai commissioner, bodies of the victims, which included two brothers, were sent to various cities across Punjab.

In Lalamusa, the body of Bilawal, son of Jamshaid Akhtar, a resident of Verowal village, was received by the family and locals. A large number of people expressed solidarity with the bereaved family.

Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the killing of passengers in Balochistan. In a statement, President Zardari reiterated the nation’s resolve to purge the country of Fitnatul Hindustan and its facilitators. “This barbarity is a heinous conspiracy by Fitnatul Hindustan to spill blood in Pakistan. They want to create chaos and unrest in Pakistan. We will purge our land of Fitnatul Hindustan and its facilitators at all costs,” the president resolved.

Condemning the killing, PM Shehbaz Sharif vowed to avenge the blood of innocent people. “We will deal with terrorists with full force. The blood of innocent people will be avenged,” the prime minister said in a statement issued by the PM Office. He said the killing of unarmed civilians was a blatant terrorism by Fitnatul Hindustan. “With resolve, unity, and strength, we will confront the scourge of terrorism and uproot it completely,” PM Shehbaz added.

Separately, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti Friday declared that the killers of innocent civilians were not worthy of any mercy. Chairing a law & order meeting in Quetta, he was briefed by Inspector General of Police Moazzam Jah Ansari on the incident. According to the post-meeting handout, CM Bugti directed security agencies to ensure that all terrorists involved in the incident are brought to justice. He vowed to relentlessly pursue those responsible and stated that no leniency would be shown to the perpetrators. “Those who murder innocent people will be hunted to the last man,” the chief minister said.