BAHAWALPUR:

Amid mourning at the home of eight Pakistani workers from the same family from Bahawalpur who were killed in a terrorist attack in an Iranian city, their relatives have demanded the immediate return of their bodies.

Speaking to the media, the mother and widow of Khalid, one of the victims from the family of Mehrab Wala in Ahmadpur East, requested the government to ensure the repatriation of the bodies as soon as possible. They said they were in a state of trauma.

According to officials, terrorists had opened fire and killed eight Pakistani workers in the city of Mehrestan in Iran’s Sistan province a day earlier.

Of the eight killed, six were residents of Khanqah Sharif on the outskirts of Bahawalpur and two of Ahmadpur Sharqia in Bahawalpur district.

Dilshad, Danish, Jafar, Nasir, Naeem and Aamir from Khanqah Sharif, and Jamshed and Muhammad Khalid from Ahmedpur East were killed in the attack.

The parents of the victims that they worked in a motor workshop in Iran. They had illegally gone to Iran from Bahawalpur about seven years ago. The victims included Dilshad and his son Danish from Khanqah Sharif. The family was shocked when the news of the incident was received.

The entire locality was in mourning over the deaths and a large number of people from the area gathered at the home of the deceased.

The heirs of the deceased said that the marriage of Naeem was scheduled to take place in a few days.

They demanded that the government immediately contact the Iranian authorities and bring the bodies of their loved ones to Pakistan.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed a deep sense of grief and sorrow over the incident. She offered condolences and extended her heartfelt sympathies to the families. “Brutal killing of innocent people is a very painful matter,” she stated.

Muhammad Sajjad, the brother of victim Jamshed, appealed to the government to take immediate steps for the repatriation of his body.

The mother and widow of the deceased Khalid said, “Our beloved one was an innocent person who was murdered brutality. We are very poor people.”

A sister of the deceased Dilshad said her family had suffered a big shock and was in a state of trauma after listening the news about targeted killings

She said the victims included her brother and two nephews. She appealed to the authorities to take measures for the repatriation of the bodies and for justice in the case.

With additional input from APP