KARACHI: The bodies of eight Pakistanis killed in Sistan province of Iran were transported to Pakistan in the wee hours of Thursday.
The tragic incident took place on April 12 when unknown terrorists shot and killed the men in Iran's Sistan province, where they worked as motor mechanics at a local workshop.
The victims were killed by unidentified gunmen at their workshop in Mehrestan district, located about 230 kilometres from the Pakistan-Iran border.
Seven Pakistanis killed are from Bahawalpur, while one Pakistani is from Shujaabad area of Multan.
Through a special plane late at night, the 8 dead were transported from Iran to Islamabad and then Bahawalpur, where these bodies were dispatched to their native areas through ambulances.
The funeral prayers for five of the deceased were held collectively in their hometown of Khanqah Sharif. The prayers took place at the Government High School’s ground and were attended by Federal Parliamentary Secretary Usman Owaisi, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shoaib Owaisi, and others.
Separately, the funeral prayers for Muhammad Jamshed, one of the victims, were held in his ancestral village of Mehrabwala, also in the Bahawalpur region.
The funeral prayers for Muhammad Khalid, another victim of the attack, are scheduled to take place in Ahmedpur East.
The Pakistani ambassador said that the dead included Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Dilshad, Mohammad Nasir, Malik Jamshed, Mohammad Danish, Mohammad Naeem, Ghulam Jafar and Mohammad Khalid.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed deep grief and concern over the incident and demanded the Iranian government immediately arrest and punish the accused.
On the other hand, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baqai strongly condemned terrorists attack and added that attack is a criminal act and the violation of Islamic teachings, law and human values.
The spokesman added that Iran would leave no stone unturned to identify the perpetrators of the crime and bring them to justice.
