LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has condemned the murder of at least 21 passengers of two Karachi-bound buses in Mastung district on Friday and demanded that the killers should be brought to justice and road travel is made secure from such wanton acts of violence.

In a statement issued on Saturday, the commission said: “HRCP strongly condemns the horrible act of terrorism in Mastung on Friday night, where at least 21 people were abducted and killed after being forced out of two Karachi-bound buses.

HRCP also denounces the overall lack of security and general lawlessness where the killers seem to have little problem in acquiring sophisticated weapons and uniform of security forces to facilitate their killing sprees, especially against bus passengers.

Read: Militants kill 20 abducted passengers in Balochistan's Mastung

Unlike the merely reactive measures on display since Friday night, the disturbing trend of attacks on bus passengers, often by culprits in security forces uniforms, need to be confronted by identifying and bringing to justice the groups involved.

There have been hints that the victims might have been targeted because of their ethnic identity. It would be exceedingly unfortunate if that turns out to be the case. One cannot agree more with the authorities’ contention that such attacks are a conspiracy against peace in the country. However, we believe that urgent improvements are called for in demonstrating the sort of priority and the constant commitment and focus required to prevent these attacks, and to identify and punish the perpetrators.

The killing of members of Hazara community in Quetta, in several incidents of ‘sectarian’ violence in the last few days, is no less condemnable and highlights the urgent need to respond to the many elements intent on killing citizens in a well thought out and coordinated manner rather than through piecemeal and reactive measures. The authorities should explain if any action has been taken against the elements believed to be involved in the killings in Mastung and Quetta under the National Action Plan to counter terrorism. They must also share with the people their vision to deny the terrorists operating under different garbs chances to spill blood in the name of ethnic and sectarian differences in order to further their reprehensible agenda.”

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2015

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