BAHAWALPUR: The eight Pa­­k­istani workers slain in Iran’s Sis­t­an-Balu­chestan province were laid to rest on Thursday in their ancestral villages across Bahawalpur district.

A collective funeral prayer for four of the victims — Dilshad, Danish, Jaffer, and Naeem — was offered at the Government Boys High School ground in Khanqah Sharif. The service was attended by a large number of mourners, including Federal Parliamentary Secretary for Railways Mian Usman Najeeb Owaisi, Regional Police Officer Rai Babar Saeed, and Deputy Commissioner Dr Farhan Farooq.

The funeral prayers for Muham­mad Khalid and Muhammad Jamshed were held in Ahmedpur East’s Mehrabpur and Chakkiwala Moore, respectively. The remaining two victims, Aamir and Nasir, were laid to rest in Sandhianwala and village Rangpur near Khanqah Sharif.

Moving scenes unfolded on Thu­rsday morning as the coffins arri­ved from Bahawalpur airport to Khanqah Sharif. Family, joined by large crowds, broke into sobs and wails upon receiving the bodies.

Moving scenes unfold as coffins arrive in Bahawalpur; govt yet to announce compensation for grieving families

Earlier today, during pre-dawn hours, a special Pakistani plane carrying bodies from Zahidan airport landed at Bahawalpur airport.

Divisional Com­­­mi­s­­sioner Bahawalpur Musarrat Jabeen, along with divisional and district administrative officials, received the coffins amid tight security.

Commissioner Jabeen oversaw the dispatch of the bodies via amb­ulances to their respective villa­g­­es, escorted by security personnel.

The families got the bodies of their loved ones after undergoing agony for five days. As of Thursday evening, the Pakistani govern­m­e­­nt had not announced any compensation for the bereaved families.

It may be recalled that un­­known armed men barged into an auto workshop, established by Danish in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan, in the night of April 12, and after tying their hands and feet, opened indiscriminate fire and killed them on the spot.

Published in Dawn, April 18th, 2025