Sectarian violence: Task force named to probe Babusar massacre
A parliamentary panel on Thursday constituted a seven-member joint task force to probe the killing of 19 passengers near Babusar Pass a few months ago and expressed its dismay over the delay in the arrest of the assailants.
In August, over a dozen gunmen forced 19 Shia passengers off four buses and shot them at pointblank range, making it the third such incident in six months.
The decision was taken by the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights, chaired by Riaz Fatyana.
The committee gave the task force three months to investigate the matter and submit its findings. Fatyana said that the joint task force will include officials from the Army, Hazara Police, Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) Police, Frontier Constabulary (FC), Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI), Intelligence Bureau (IB) and SPARCO with Additional Secretary Interior at the helm of the probe.
Briefing the committee regarding the Babusar Pass incident, Commissioner Hazara Khalid Khan Umerzai said “this is the same Shia-Sunni conflict, the roots of which can be traced back to the Ziaul Haq era.”
Umerzai disclosed that the assailants identified are Sunni. He sought the committee’s help to bring them to justice saying that the Hazara administration was unable to spot the culprits because they lived in the jurisdiction of G-B.
He said these assailants belonged to Thor Valley of G-B, and most victims also hailed from the same area.
The committee recommended that all those who have been involved in the act of violence, should be arrested immediately. Furthermore, Member of National Assembly (MNA) Munir Khan Orakzai pointed out that Rs1.70 billion allocated by the premier for victims of sectarian violence in this agency have not been disbursed. The committee directed Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s inspection team to probe irregularities in the payment of compensation.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 30th, 2012.
COMMENTS (6)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
1732949830-0/BeFunk_§_]__§-(5)1732949830-0.jpg "ctd punjab foils terror plot arrests 11 militants")
1732947071-0/BeFunk_§_]__§-(4)1732947071-0.jpg "smog related health issues affect 68 of pakistanis ipsos pakistan survey")
Just to let your correspondent know that The incident didn't occur in babosar, but in Lolosar. Lolosar is the area under the jurisdictions of KPK or Hazara division, however Babosar is part of Gilgit Baltistan. Your correspondent should at least had this figured out before even thinking of writing "Babosar'. He/she knowingly or obliviously branded a whole different province/people for this! Ciao!
Who will you arrest and for how long? These people are sheltered by our agencies, even if you get close to them you your self will go missing and spend several days in some dark boom closet inside ghq.
I have a suggestion which can improve our economy. Pakistan should start exporting 'task forces'. We seem to be experts in them and form a million task forces each day. Some $$$s for our foreign reserves.
25 people were killed in Kohistan and the area is in juridiction of KPK. The killers are still free and government is showing no interest to apprehend the killers. It is so shame that innocent people were killed by brutal terrorists wearing the uniform of armed forces.
Why the action is so late????
http://gbtimes.wordpress.com/2012/11/30/news-task-force-named-to-probe-babusar-massacre-of-gbian/
Another committee for probe.. ) it is our fate our rulers always do not perform their job on the contrary our enemy achieving its agenda, "Divide & Rule"