Balochistan tense after recovery of three bodies

CM orders inquiry as tribesmen start marching towards Quetta for protest demo

QUETTA:

Tension gripped Balochistan on Tuesday after the Levies force discovered three bodies – a mother and her two sons – from a well in Barkhan district, triggering a strong protest by the local Marri tribesmen.

The deceased were family members of a local tribesmen, Khan Muhammad Marri. The victims were identified as Giran Naz, wife of Khan Muhammad Marri and her two sons Mohammad Nawaz, in his 20s, and Abdul Qadir, in his teens.
The police said that the bodies were recovered from a well in the Haji Kot area of the district on Monday night.

They were initially taken to the Barkhan Civil Hospital and after completion of medico-legal formalities, handed over to their heirs.

On Tuesday, hundreds of Marri tribesmen, carrying the tree bodies in two ambulances, had started a march from Barkhan to Quetta to stage a protest demonstration outside the Balochistan Assembly to get justice.

Khan Muhammad Marri accused the provincial Communication and Works Minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran of murdering his family members. He also said that the victims were tortured before they were killed.

However, talking to various media outlets, Khetran denied the accusation and termed the allegations propaganda to tarnish his political reputation. Khetran said that the murders were a conspiracy against him.

Talking to The Express Tribune, Balochistan police chief Abdul Khaliq Sheikh said that a fair and transparent investigation would be carried out into the incident. “No one will be spared. A fair investigation will be conducted,” he said.

The inspector general of police said the government had directed to conduct a free and fair investigation into the incident. He added, “If the DPO (district police officer) is responsible, action will be taken against him also.”

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Quddus Bizenjo ordered the formation of a joint investigation team (JIT). “The government has decided to conduct an impartial inquiry into the recovery of the bodies,” he said in a statement on Tuesday evening.

Several lawmakers from Balochistan strongly condemned the tragic incident, demanding an investigation into the incident. “We want justice for the bereft family,” Sanaullah Baloch, a lawmaker from the Balochistan National Party-Mengal, said.

“Deeply saddened to see such horrifying visuals of Khan Mohammad Marri’s two sons and wife,” Senator Sarfraz Bugti wrote in a tweet. “Khan Mohammad Marri has been running from pillar to post to get justice since the last many days. I firmly stand with him in this difficult time.”

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) said it was horrified by the discovery of three bullet-ridden bodies and the related alleged illegal detention. “These serious allegations must be investigated promptly,” the HRCP said in a tweet.

Attack on Levies

In a separate incident on Tuesday, two levies personnel were martyred when armed men opened fire on them in the Babari area of Mastung district.

The attackers fled, while the bodies were shifted to the district headquarters hospital.
In another incident, a man, who opened fire at the police in the Chaman district, was shot dead on the spot in retaliatory fire. Another attacker was also injured in the exchange of fire but he managed to escape. The police started an investigation into the incident.