KARACHI, July 11: The barbaric act of exterminating a lot of innocent people at an Imambargah in Quetta recently was condemned in strong words at a meeting of non-governmental organizations which demanded a high-level inquiry into the carnage and immediate arrest of the culprits.

The meeting, held under the auspices of the Aurat Foundation, was attended by the Citizen Action Committee.

The participants called for effective security steps to ensure that no such incident took place in future. They demanded an exemplary punishment to the culprits. The meeting also opposed the Greater Thal Canal project and urged the government not to proceed against the interests of Sindh.

It also stressed that natural resources, like gas, petroleum etc., should be utilized for the betterment of the local people who should also be given jobs. It demanded that Umerkot be accorded the status of a district.

The NGOs called for comprehensive legislation against the customary killings under ‘Karo-kari’ and violence against women. The issues relating to the women residing in coastal areas be solved on priority basis, they said.

Referring to the life in Thar and Cholistan deserts, the meeting urged the United Nations to announce a special day for the desert women in order to draw the attention of the world community to the plight of these women who were hit by miseries and a lot of other specific problems, including poverty.