KARACHI, Feb 9: The 13 bodies found in a mass grave in Balochistan province of southwest Pakistan were of persons missing for a long and their killing was an act of “genocide”, a provincial minister has said.
“This is like genocide of the Baloch people, which nobody likes to tolerate,” Health Minister Rahmat Saleh Baloch said.
The discovery of the mass grave near Khuzdar last month was a matter of great concern, he said. The bodies found in the grave were mutilated and decomposed and were of persons who had been missing for long.
“This is intolerable and a cause of serious consternation, especially among the youths who are losing all hope fast,” Baloch was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper today.
The discovery of the mass grave forced the Supreme Court to intervene and summon provincial authorities to disclose the factual position.
Nasrullah Baloch, chairman of the Voice of Baluch Missing Persons, had claimed that three of the bodies were of “missing persons”, but the minister’s remarks marked the first time that a member of the ruling National Party (NP) has conceded this.
The term “missing persons” is used to refer to people detained without charge by intelligence and security agencies. Over the past few years, the bodies of hundreds of missing persons have been found dumped all over Balochistan. (PTI)
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