Five Zikri pilgrims die of dehydration, starvation near Gwadar

Police say the pilgrims set out on foot six days ago and were missing since then


Mohammad Zafar July 14, 2015
Police said starvation and dehydration caused the deaths. PHOTO: AFP/FILE

QUETTA: Police found on Tuesday the bodies of five Zikri pilgrims who had gone missing about a week ago in Pasni area of Gwadar district in Balochistan.

"At least five people belonging to Zikri sect set out from their homes for pilgrimage in Koh-e-Murad area of Turbat on foot six days ago and have been missing since then," SHO Gwadar Chakar Baloch told The Express Tribune.

“The bodies were found in Kapar area of Pasni,” Baloch said. "The cause of death was starvation and dehydration."

Read: Balochistan disaster: Seven bodies retrieved after coal mine collapse

The deceased were taken to Pasni Hospital for identification where they were identified as Abdul Hameed, Ibrahim, Nisar Ahmed, Sahgir and Dili, all residents of Pasni. The bodies were handed over to deceased relatives for burial after medico-legal formalities.

Read: 164 bodies found in Balochistan this year: report

Zikri Mahdavis, or Zikris, are an offshoot of the Mahdavi movement found mostly in the said region and eastern Iran. Zikri derives from the Arabic word dhikr, meaning remembrance, devotion and invocation.

COMMENTS

Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ