- Interim CM orders a high-level inquiry into incident
- Deceased labourers belong to Punjab’s Multan district
QUETTA: Unidentified gunmen fatally shot six labourers in Turbat in Balochistan’s Kech district in the early hours of Saturday while Caretaker Chief Minister Mir Ali Mardan Khan Domki taking notice of the incident, suspended the Superintendent of Police (SP) concerned.
District Police Officer (DPO) Imam Bux informed the media that the incident occurred in early hours of Saturday when a group of armed men barged into a residence in Turbat’s Satellite Town area and indiscriminately killed the labourers.
The victims had been based in the house of a local contractor and were there for construction work when they became the target of the attack, the officer added.
“Upon being alerted, the police arrived at the scene promptly.”
DPO Bux said that a case would be registered at the CTD Police Station, and an investigation was underway to establish the motive behind the incident.
The injured were identified as Rizwan, Shehbaz, Wasim, Shafiq Ahmed, Muhammad Naeem, Ghulam Mustafa and Touheed, with the police confirming that Shehbaz and Wasim were siblings.
Interim Balochistan Chief Minister Ali Mardan Khan Domki expressed his deep sorrow over the loss of lives and called for an official report from the relevant authorities.
He strongly condemned the incident, emphasising that the targeting of innocent labourers was reprehensible.
He asked the investigators to thoroughly examine the incident from all perspectives and provide a comprehensive report, underscoring the need to utilise all available resources to apprehend those responsible.
In an official statement issued here, it has stated that Ali Mardan Domki has taken strict notice of the incident and contacted the divisional and district administration.
On the instructions of the chief minister, the helicopter of the Balochistan government has reached Turbat to transfer the dead, their families and the injured to Quetta and will be sent to Multan by tomorrow morning.
In that regard, the government of Balochistan is in contact with the Commissioner, Multan Division, District Administration Multan and the government of Punjab. The Balochistan government has made all arrangements to ensure better treatment facilities to the injured workers.
The Chief Minister has also ordered a high-level inquiry into this tragic incident. All transfer matters are being taken seriously and the matters are being scrutinized with full attention at the administrative level.
Separately, Balochistan Governor Malik Abdul Wali Khan Kakar mourned the lives lost in the attack and called upon law enforcement agencies to be swift in apprehending the individuals responsible for the incident.
The incident serves as a grim reminder of a 2015 tragedy in Turbat when gunmen killed 20 construction workers and injured three others in a pre-dawn attack on a labourers’ camp near Turbat. In a similar manner, the Kuch victims were targeted while they were asleep at their camp.
