Repatriation of Remains: Pakistanis Killed in Iran

The remains of eight Pakistani citizens, who were tragically killed earlier this week in Iran’s Sistan province, were repatriated to Pakistan early Thursday morning.

According to authorities, a dedicated flight carrying the bodies of the deceased Pakistanis arrived at Bahawalpur Airport at approximately 3:00 am.

Among the eight individuals, seven were residents of Khanqah Sharif, situated in Bahawalpur, while the remaining victim was from Shujaabad, a location within the Multan district.

The bodies of those who tragically perished in the terrorist incident in Iran have been transported via ambulances to their respective hometowns for burial rites.

In Bahawalpur, a collective funeral service was conducted for five of the deceased in their hometown of Khanqah Sharif. The service was held on the grounds of Government High School, with attendance from Federal Parliamentary Secretary Usman Owaisi, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shoaib Owaisi, and numerous community members.

In a separate event, funeral prayers for Muhammad Jamshed, one of the victims, took place in his ancestral village of Mehrabwala, also situated in the Bahawalpur region.

The funeral service for Muhammad Khalid, another victim of the attack, is slated to occur in Ahmedpur Sharqia.

The unfortunate event transpired on April 12, when unidentified assailants fatally shot the men in the Sistan province of Iran. These individuals were employed as motor mechanics at a local establishment.

The victims were targeted by unknown armed individuals at their workplace in the Mehrestan district, located approximately 230 kilometers from the border shared by Pakistan and Iran.

The Government of Pakistan has voiced strong condemnation of the attack, issuing a formal request to Iran for the arrest and prosecution of the responsible parties.

The Sistan-Baluchestan region, characterized by poverty, has been a recurring site of conflict between security forces, separatist insurgents, and individuals engaged in the smuggling of opium from Afghanistan.

The area has been the scene of several comparable occurrences in recent years, including shootings, smuggling operations, and clashes at the border, owing to its geostrategic importance.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep concern regarding the incident, urging the Iranian government to promptly capture those accountable for the heinous killings and ensure they are appropriately penalized.

He denounced it as a reprehensible act of terrorism and insisted that Iranian authorities make public the motivations underpinning the attack.

Pakistani laborers frequently find employment in vehicle maintenance and agriculture within Iran’s border region; however, these recent fatalities suggest escalating insecurity for foreign employees in the eastern parts of the nation.

In January 2024, at least nine Pakistanis lost their lives, and three others sustained injuries, due to a shooting incident in the southeastern region of Iran, near the Pakistani border, merely a day following the official restoration of diplomatic relations between Pakistan and Iran after a brief period of tension.