Hazara protesters urged to hand over bodies of Afghan nationals
QUETTA:
A four-member committee of Quetta district administration, headed by a special magistrate, on Friday requested the organisers of Quetta sit-in to hand over bodies of seven Afghan nationals who they claimed were among 11 Hazara miners brutally murdered by unknown assailants last week.
The development came hours after the Afghanistan government wrote to the Pakistan Foreign Ministry, seeking the repatriation of the ‘bodies of its citizens’.
The district administration of Quetta, in a press release, also warned the organisers that there was a risk of coronavirus spread in the province due to the sit-in. It said that a security threat has also been issued in view of the law and order situation, calling for an end to the demonstration immediately.
The committee also urged the organisers to bring forward the blood relatives of the martyred so that their compensation could be paid. However, the press release added, that so far the organisers have not given any “meaningful response” to the committee in this regard.
Also read: Don't blackmail me, PM tells Hazara mourners
The committee claimed that due to the “stubborn behaviour” of the sit-in organisers, no headway could be made in the dialogues, lamenting that the alleged behaviour was making the situation even more complex.
It further said that if any untoward incident occurred, the organisers of the sit-in will be held responsible.
Earlier today, the Afghanistan Embassy in Islamabad requested the Pakistani authorities to provide special assistance for the repatriation of bodies of seven Afghan nationals who were among the 11 Hazara colliers brutally murdered by unknown assailants in Machh, Balochistan last week.
Kabul also asked Islamabad to provide consular access for one Afghan national who fled the incident alive and was now in the custody of the local authorities.
“The Embassy will be very grateful if the consular access would be provided to the Afghan General Consulate in Quetta, about the custody of Afghan citizen Mr Rasul,” the letter read.
Armed attackers had slaughtered 11 miners near a mine site in Balochistan's Machh coalfield area on Sunday. Da'ish claimed the responsibility of the gruesome attack.
Since then thousands of Hazaras have been protesting while sitting along with the coffins of their loved ones in Quetta. Separate protest sit-ins at multiple locations in Karachi, Lahore and other major cities are also being held across the country.