The bodies of 15 people killed near the Pak-Iran border in Balochistan a day earlier were shifted to Lahore on Thursday for burial in their home districts in Punjab.

The victims had been killed by unknown gunmen in the Buleda Gorak area of district Kech on Wednesday. They belonged to Mandi Bahauddin, Sialkot and other parts of Punjab. Balochistan Home Minister Mir Sarfaraz Bugti accompanied their bodies to Lahore.

The funeral prayers of the victims had been offered earlier in the day in Turbat amid tight security. Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Sanaullah Zehri, Commander Southern Command Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa and other civil and military officials participated in the funeral.

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After the funeral, Zehri had chaired a high-level meeting to review the law and order situation in the aftermath of recent wave of terror acts in the province.

Lt Gen Bajwa and other senior officers also attended the meeting, during which the authorities decided to take stern action against those involved in the brutal killing.

A senior administration officer who requested anonymity told Dawn that the 15 had been killed while trying to sneak into Iran through unfrequented routes.

The victims had been trying to enter Iran illegally and then proceed to Turkey to enter Greece for the sake of employment, he said.