Balochistan Assembly session: Discovery of mass grave echoes in the house
Legislators from govt and opposition call for a probe.
Discovery of mass grave echoes in the house. PHOTO: FILE
QUETTA:
The grisly discovery of a mass grave in the Tutak area of Khuzdar reverberated in the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday as legislators from both sides of the aisle pressed the administration for an investigation to unearth those responsible for the massacre.
“This is a tragic discovery. Those responsible for these brutal killings, whether they are from the security forces or Baloch separatists, should be made accountable,” said Khalid Langove, the chief minister’s adviser on finance.
Speaking on a point of order, Khalid, who hails from the ruling National Party (NP), said that it was the government’s responsibility to disclose the facts of the Tutak tragedy.
Another NP legislator, Haji Aslam, said the provincial legislators apparently learnt about the mass grave in the media. “I’m sure the representatives from Khuzdar learnt about the incident from the media,” he said. “The government should conduct DNA tests on the decomposed bodies and disclose their identity.”
Opposition leader Maulana Abdul Wasay of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) also voiced concerns over the grisly discovery. “Shamefully, we have become so apathetic that no one is paying heed to this serious humanitarian issue,” he said, warning that the people would never forgive the government for its apathy.
“It is wrong to blame the previous governments for the present mess in the province. The incumbent administration can also not absolve itself of the responsibility for whatever is happening in the province now,” he said.
Responding to the opposition’s remarks, provincial minister Dr Hamid Achakzai, who belongs to the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) said the government would disclose all facts about the incident. “The government is investigating this massacre,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2014.
The grisly discovery of a mass grave in the Tutak area of Khuzdar reverberated in the Balochistan Assembly on Tuesday as legislators from both sides of the aisle pressed the administration for an investigation to unearth those responsible for the massacre.
“This is a tragic discovery. Those responsible for these brutal killings, whether they are from the security forces or Baloch separatists, should be made accountable,” said Khalid Langove, the chief minister’s adviser on finance.
Speaking on a point of order, Khalid, who hails from the ruling National Party (NP), said that it was the government’s responsibility to disclose the facts of the Tutak tragedy.
Another NP legislator, Haji Aslam, said the provincial legislators apparently learnt about the mass grave in the media. “I’m sure the representatives from Khuzdar learnt about the incident from the media,” he said. “The government should conduct DNA tests on the decomposed bodies and disclose their identity.”
Opposition leader Maulana Abdul Wasay of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) also voiced concerns over the grisly discovery. “Shamefully, we have become so apathetic that no one is paying heed to this serious humanitarian issue,” he said, warning that the people would never forgive the government for its apathy.
“It is wrong to blame the previous governments for the present mess in the province. The incumbent administration can also not absolve itself of the responsibility for whatever is happening in the province now,” he said.
Responding to the opposition’s remarks, provincial minister Dr Hamid Achakzai, who belongs to the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) said the government would disclose all facts about the incident. “The government is investigating this massacre,” he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 29th, 2014.