QUETTA / LAHORE: The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) on Wednesday expressed concern over the recent discovery of ‘hundreds’ of bodies on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan, rejected Punjab government’s inquiry committee on the matter and appealed to Supreme Court to take notice of this inhuman tragedy and fulfil the demand of justice.

Expressing these views at a news conference, VBMP chairman Nasarullah Baloch said the apex court had on a 2015 petition of his organisation regarding recovery of mutilated bodies ordered the provincial governments to register FIRs, conduct DNA tests and investigate the reason of death, but the order was never implemented.

Also the court order for DNA test of the bodies recovered from the Totak area of Khuzdar district was not implemented, he said.

Later, Nasarullah Baloch and several other human rights activists also spoke at a protest demonstration outside Quetta Press Club, where a number of political workers and family members of missing persons had gathered, holding placards and chanting slogans against extrajudicial killing of missing persons.

Bodies buried

Meanwhile, the Nishtar Hospital administration and Edhi Foundation on Wednesday buried the remains of 66 putrefied bodies.

The matter surfaced last week after some videos were widely shared on social media showing the bodies dumped at Nishtar Hospital’s rooftop.

Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Zaman Gujjar visited the hospital and directed the authorities concerned to take action against the employees involved in mishandling the unclaimed bodies.

Published in Dawn, October 20th, 2022