13 January 2004	Tuesday	20 Ziqa'ad 1424

QUETTA, Jan 12: Iranian border security forces shot dead a Pakistani illegal immigrant near Mirjava, an Iran border town, at the Pak-Iran international frontier, official sources said here on Monday.

The Iranian border forces opened fire on the Pakistani when he was trying to cross into the Iranian border illegally. He died on the spot. "Yes, a dead body of a young man was brought to Taftan, who received multiple bullet wounds on his body," an official of the border town administration confirmed, and said that the incident took place on Sunday evening.

"The Iranian authorities handed over the body of Zakir to a close relative at Mirjava, informing him about his illegal crossing into Iran," a Pakistani official of the local administration told this correspondent. Zakir Hussain, who belonged to the Hazara tribe, was a resident of the Hazara Town, Quetta, and wanted to go to Iran in search of a job.

In another incident, the Iranian border authorities arrested 17 illegal immigrants who crossed into Iranian area without having legal travelling documents on Monday. The Levies have registered a case and sent them to lockup.