Dumped near mountain: Four bullet-riddled bodies found in Kalat

Incident casts doubts over official claims of decline in violence in balochistan

QUETTA: At least four bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped in a desolate area of Surab town in Kalat district on Sunday. The bodies have not been identified as yet.

Balochistan Levies Tehsildar Abdul Wahab told The Express Tribune that some passerby spotted the bodies in the mountains of the Kalghali Shum area and informed the paramilitary force personnel.

The Levies transported the corpses to Civil Hospital Surab for legal formalities. “The bodies bore multiple bullet wounds and apparently the deceased were shot dead the night before,” said Abdul Wahab adding that investigations are under way.

The murder of these four men casts doubts over official claims of a drop in violence in the insurgency-hit province.

Official documents, put together for the Balochistan apex committee monitoring the progress of the National Action Plan, claim a ‘dramatic decrease’ in violent incidents in the volatile areas of the province. The Balochistan home department said the emerging situation was the result of the joint efforts of the military and the civilian government in establishing peace in the province.



According to the official data, excluding the latest incident, the number of bullet-riddled bodies has also dropped to 76 this year, as more than 166 were found last year and 168 the year before.

Targeted killings, too, have witnessed a significant drop.So far this year 143 people have been killed in attacks on minority groups, settlers and law enforcers against 275 people  last year.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th,  2015.