Afghanistan Times
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QUETTA: Victims of the Mastung tragedy were laid to rest in Pishin, a district of the troubled Balochistan province in Pakistan. The death toll rose to 22 when another body was recovered on Saturday.
Families and relatives of those killed by militants in Mastung protested outside the CM and Governor Houses along with the bodies of their loved ones.
The families after their protest left for Pishin where the victims of the tragedy are being laid to rest.
In reaction to the tragedy, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch have agreed to convene an All Parties Conference to discuss the security situation in Balochistan. The conference will be held next week in Quetta.
Unidentified gunmen late Friday stormed two Karachi-bound passenger coaches arriving from Quetta near Mastung.
Geo News quoted Levies sources as: “Two Karachi-bound buses from Quetta the capital of Balochistan were intercepted near Mastung’s Khad Koocha area by militants.”
They hand-picked several passengers from the buses and took them away, they added.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti confirmed the incident and the death toll. He said most of the abducted passengers were Pashtun.
He added that the gunmen were wearing uniforms of the security forces.
Bugti alleged that Indian Intelligence Agency RAW was behind the killings and that the incident has taken place after Kashmiri people, in occupied Kashmir, waved and hoisted Pakistani flags again in the valley.
Official sources confirmed that five of the kidnapped passengers were released, two of which were said to be injured.
According to survivors, four to six gunmen dressed in security forces uniforms stopped the buses and took all the passengers to the mountains, where 30 to 35 more terrorists were waiting.
The survivors added that after checking CNIC cards, they began killing the passengers.
A three day mourning has been announced throughout the province.
Taking notice of the incident, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sought a swift probe report of the incident.
He expressed deep grief over the tragic incident saying the government stands united with the victims’ families. The premier also vowed to bring the culprits behind the incident to justice.
