Bahawalpur (Web Desk): The bodies of eight Pakistani citizens who were shot dead in Iran’s Sistan province earlier this week were returned to Pakistan early Thursday morning.
According to reports, a special aircraft carrying the remains landed at Bahawalpur Airport around 3:00am, where security was heightened and local authorities were on hand to manage the arrival.
Following their arrival, the deceased were transported by ambulance to their respective hometowns for burial.
Of the eight victims, seven hailed from Khanqah Sharif in Bahawalpur, while one was a resident of Shujaabad in Multan district.
Senior officials, including the Bahawalpur Commissioner and Deputy Commissioner, were present at the airport to supervise the arrangements and offer condolences to the grieving families.
The victims had been employed as vehicle mechanics in Iran’s Mehrestan district, situated approximately 230 kilometers from the Pakistan-Iran border.
On April 12, unidentified gunmen entered their workshop and opened fire, killing all eight on the spot. The motive behind the attack remains unclear.
The Government of Pakistan has issued a strong condemnation of the killings and formally called on Iranian authorities to swiftly apprehend those responsible and ensure they are brought to justice.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif denounced the killings as a “barbaric act of terrorism,” urging Iran to investigate the motives behind the attack and hold the perpetrators accountable.
Iran’s Sistan-Balochistan region, where the attack took place, has long been plagued by violence, often attributed to separatist groups, drug trafficking networks, and clashes with security forces.