Bodies of nine slain passengers sent home

QUETTA:

The bodies of nine passengers martyred in a terrorist attack in the Sardhaka area overnight were sent to their hometowns in Punjab for burial on Friday, as the provincial government expanded the scope of law-enforcement agencies (LEAs) to launch decisive actions against the perpetrators.

Those slaughtered in the late-night terrorist attack belonged to the Lahore, Gujrat, Khanewal, Gujranwala, Lodhran, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, and Attock districts. They included two brothers Jabbar and Usman from Dunyapur.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind said that Fitna al Hindustan, a term used for Indian-backed terrorist organisations in Balochistan, had carried out attacks at three different places.

The terrorist attack occurred near the boundary between the Zhob and Loralai districts. The bodies were brought to Zhob, where they were received by Deputy Commissioner Usman Khalid and Border Military Police Commandant Asad Khan Chandia.

The victims, who were travelling from Quetta to Lahore, were identified as Muhammad Irfan, Dera Ghazi Khan; Sabir Hussain, Gujranwala; Muhammad Asif, Chowk Qureshi; Ghulam Saeed, Khanewal; Muhammad Junaid, Lahore; Muhammad Bilal, Attock; Bilawal, Gujrat and Jabbar and Usman, Dunyapur.

The funeral prayers for brothers Jabbar Toor and Usman Toor were held at Government Boys High School, Dunyapur in the Lodhran district. Relatives said that the victims were traveling to attend the funeral of their father.

Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti ordered the law-enforcement agencies to launch an immediate and decisive action against those involved in the Sardhaka massacre, authorising them to act beyond the "usual limits of the levies and police jurisdictions, if required".

The chief minister chaired a security meeting in the provincial capital to review the law and order situation in the province, and received a briefing from the Balochistan inspector general of police on the Sardhaka incident and the updates on the ongoing investigation and security operations in the area.

"The pursuit of these terrorists will continue until they are brought to justice. There will be no compromise on enforcing the law in Balochistan," the chief minister said, adding that security forces have been authorised to act beyond the usual limits of levies and police jurisdictions.

'Barbaric act'

President Asif Ali Zardari described the killing of passengers as a "barbaric act" and said that it was part of Fitna al-Hindustan's broader conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan. He reaffirmed the state's commitment to purge the country of Fitna al-Hindustan and their facilitators at all costs.

Similarly, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned Sardhaka massacre, terming it "blatant terrorism". He asserted that the perpetrators would be dealt with through full state force. "The blood of innocent people will be avenged," he said, blaming India for supporting such acts against unarmed civilians.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi denounced the killings as "cowardly barbarism" by "Indian?sponsored terrorists and their local facilitators", vowing nationwide pursuit and punishment of the perpetrators. He reaffirmed the state's commitment to thwart all plots against national peace and integrity.

(WITH INPUT FROM APP)