10 labourers shot dead in Mastung
14 September, 2012
QUETTA: As many as 10 labourers were killed and another four sustained injuries in the Dasht area of Mastung on Thursday after unidentified people opened fire on them. Mastung Deputy Commissioner (DC) Irfan Shah said that 15 people were working on the RCD Highway when unidentified men opened fire on them. As a result, nine of the labourers were killed on the spot and five others sustained injuries. Sources said that the contractor had not informed the administration about the construction in spite of volatile security situation in the district. According to a Levies official, the incident took place at around 9am and the Mastung DC and Dasht Assistant Commissioner Naseer Jattak and Balochistan Levies personnel rushed to the spot. The injured were shifted to the Bolan Hospital. Birat Khan, a rescuer, said that they were working on the road when some two unidentified men riding a motorcycle approached, lined up the labourers and opened fire on them from a point-blank range. "They searched them and queued them up and opened fire on them, killing most of them on the spot," he said. Abdul Khaliq, a journalist, said that the labourers were working in two different areas of the district. He also said, "Some people were working for contractor Abdul Rasool Bangulzai where five people were killed and three sustained injuries. Some labourers were working for contractor Siraj Kurd where four people were killed and two sustained injuries." The rescue and media teams rushed to the spot after three hours and the bodies were taken to the Bolan Hospital. The relatives of the victims held a protest demonstration at the BMC. Later, they blocked Brewery Road and burnt tyres. The deceased were identified as Noor Muhammad, Aurang Zeb, Muhammad Saleem, Barat Khan, Daro Khan, Khano, Yar Muhammad, Akbar, Neyamatullah and Abdul Ghaffar. The injured were identified as Murtaza Khan, Barak Khan, Gulab Khan and Baran Khan. All victims were the residents of the Sumangli Road area of Quetta. Later, one of the injured, Abdul Ghafar Khan, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital. Balochistan Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi and Chief Minister Nawab Mohammad Aslam Khan Raisani condemned the killings and ordered the authorities concerned to submit a report in this regard. "The Balochistan government will not abandon the victim families in their grief," the CM said in a statement, adding that the Balochistan government would give them compensation. The Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) staged a protest demonstration outside the Quetta Press Club and condemned the killings. The protesters shouted slogans against the government. The PkMAP also gave a shutter-down strike call for Friday (today). Meanwhile, the Baloch United Liberation Army (BULA) claimed responsibility for the killings. BULA spokesman Mureed Baloch phoned a news agency and claimed the responsibility. End.
|
