The bodies of seven labourers, tragically gunned down in a firing incident in Panjgur, Balochistan, were returned to their hometown in Shujabad, Multan, on Sunday. The victims were transported by helicopter to Multan Airport, where they were received by officials, including KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, PPP MNA Syed Abdul Qadir Gilani, PMLN MPA Salman Naeem, and SSP Operations Hasan Raza Khaki.
Deputy Commissioner Panjgur Zahid Ahmed Lango and DPO Panjgur Fazil Bukhari were also present during the handover. The bodies were taken to Nishtar Hospital and later handed over to the bereaved families.
The funeral prayers for five of the labourers were held in Basti Chadhar and Basti Malook, while the remaining two were laid to rest in Shujabad. The funerals were attended by Deputy Commissioner Wasim Hamid Sindhu, PMLN MPA Salman Naeem, and a large number of locals. The victims were buried in their ancestral graveyards.
The slain labourers were identified as Sajid, son of Allah Bakhsh; Faiz, son of Allah Dutta; Khalid, son of Fida Hussain; Shafiq, son of Faiz Bakhsh; Iftikhar, son of Iqbal; Salman, son of Faiz; and Bilal, son of Shaukat. All of the deceased were residents of Multan Tehsil.
In response to the killings, grieving families staged a protest, blocking the M-5 motorway and closing the Shujabad Basti Dad Interchange to all traffic.
Following orders from Balochistan Chief Minister Bugti, a helicopter was dispatched to transport the bodies from Panjgur. The injured labourer from the incident was transferred to Quetta’s CMH hospital for treatment.
