June 10, 2003	Tuesday	Rabi-us-Sani 9, 1424

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QUETTA, June 9: The police have arrested 18 suspects in overnight raids conducted in different areas of the provincial capital in connection with the killing of the police recruits.

“The police has taken 18 people into custody in the raids for interrogation,” deputy IG Police Quetta Humayun Khan Jogezai said here on Monday.

Two teams comprising senior police officers and other law enforcement agencies have been set up for investigating the tragic incident. The condition of the three injured is still critical.

The IG Police, Balochistan, Dr Shoaib Suddle, blamed the defunct Lashkar-i-Jhangvi for the killing.

However, he said the involvement of RAW could not be ignored. “We are looking all aspects of the incident to find out facts behind the killings, he said and added that the culprits would be arrested very soon.

Sources said that different police parties continued raids till Monday morning in different areas of Quetta for the arrest of culprits.

The police did not disclose the identity of suspects arrested during the raids.

STRIKE OBSERVED: A complete strike was observed here on Monday to protest the killing of police recruits.

The Hazara community took out a procession from Alamdar Road and Marriabad area in which several thousands people of the community participated. They marched on various roads of the city chanting slogans against the government and a leader of a defunct religious party.

The markets, offices of district government and provincial government and schools were closed and law enforcement agencies were patrolling the streets and posted at sensitive areas to deal with any untoward incident.

The Anjuman Tajran Balochistan had given a call for a complete shutter down to protest the killing in the city.

Similarly, City Nazim Quetta Mohamad Rahim Kakar had also announced the closure of schools in the city for a day.

Balochistan police has also announced three-day mourning in the city and police flag will be at half mast during the mourning period.

SSP Quetta Rehmatullah Niazi said that contingents of Frontier Corps Balochistan, have been called in the city to maintain law and order along with police and anti-terrorist force.

LAID TO REST: All the 11 victims were laid to rest in Hazara graveyard with full honour in the presence of thousands of people.

The governor of Balochistan, Lt-General Abdul Quadir, Corps Commander Quetta Lt-General Shahid Hamid, IG Frontier Corps Major General Sadaqat Ali Shah, IG Police Dr Shoaib Suddle and provincial minister for forest and sports Col (Retd) Younas Changezi, and other senior official were also present on the occasion.

The governor while addressing the mourners strongly condemned the incident and termed it an inhuman act. He said that those who committed this heinous crime could not be the citizens of this city. “They are cruel and not human beings,” the governor said.

He announced that two members each of the grieved family would be inducted in the police.