Avoid doing politics on bodies: minister

Balochsitan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove on Friday urged protesters not to do politics on bodies of the Barkhan victims.

Addressing a news conference at the Chief Minister Secretariat, the minister said the provincial government has established a joint interrogation team (JIT) to conduct an impartial inquiry into the Barkhan triple murder incident.

Differences also emerged among the protesters regarding the Barkhan incident. The protesters were divided over ending the protest after the arrest of the provincial minister, Sardar Abdur Rehman Khetran, and the recovery of Khan Muhammad Marri's family members in Barkhan.

The protesters also stopped some of the tribal elders from taking away the dead bodies for burial.

They said that until and unless all demands of the protesters are met the dead bodies should not be buried as a protest measure.

“I urge them not to do politics on the dead bodies of others,” the minister said while referring to the protesters opposing an end to the Quetta sit-in.

Some of the protesters demanded of the Balochistan government to conduct DNA tests of the three dead bodies and an impartial investigation Barkhan brutal triple murder which has resulted in widespread resentment across the country.

The minister stated that the provincial government was committed to conducting an impartial inquiry into the Barkhan incident and for this purpose the JIT was working to unearth the truth behind the incident.

When asked about the de-notification of the minister, Langove said that first of all an inquiry should be conducted and completed and then action can be taken against the minister once the charges are proved.

Minister voluntarily surrendered to the police for investigation, he said.

Home minister Balochistan, however, said that all details about the Barkhan tragedy cannot be shared since an investigation was going on in the case.

“The provincial government is aware of its responsibilities in this regard,” he maintained.

It may be mentioned that Levies sources said late on Wednesday that Giran Naz and her two children – a son and a daughter – were recovered in a raid. They added that the raid was conducted in the hilly area near Dukki-Barkhan border by the Levies Force Sibi Range.

Giran Naz was previously believed to be killed along with her two sons but later she was found alive and police said the body belonged to a teen age girl who had been raped and shot in the head.

A Balochistan police spokesperson confirmed that the case had been transferred from Barkhan to the Crimes Branch Quetta for investigation, adding that Commandant Balochistan Constabulary Salman Chaudhry would lead the special investigation team.

He said that Quetta DIG, DIG Special Branch, and the SSP would be members of the team.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 25^th, 2023.