May 8, 2002	Wednesday	Safar 24, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, May 7: Relatives of the six Pakistanis killed in Macedonia for their alleged links with Al Qaeda have asked the foreign office to bring the bodies to the country for their burial according to Muslim rites.

Macedonian forces killed six Pakistanis and an Indian Sikh in a staged encounter near the US embassy compound after recovering some Quranic verses from their pockets. The encounter was later investigated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation, which termed it fake.

“After recovering some Quranic verses, the arrested people were handed over to the Special Forces of Macedonia who interrogated them and killed them in a bogus fight for getting the favours of the USA,” the application, given to the foreign office, said.

“Our sons were going from Bulgaria to Greece for a better future when they entered the state of Macedonia with an Indian where they were arrested and handed over to the special forces,” it added.

Relative of one of those killed, Ijaz Ahmed, aged 22, said all the six people had entered Macedonia illegally after paying more than $1200 to the agents.

The agents, the relatives said, were operating in Turkey, Iran and with a local contact in Mandi Bahuddin.

Following are the names of the six Pakistanis killed: Syed Bilal Hussain Shah, Muhammad Asif Javed, Umer Farooq, Khalid Iqbal, Ejaz Ahmed and Muhammad Riaz.