ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Foreign Office on Sunday strongly condemned the killing of eight Pakistani nationals in Iran, terming it an inhumane and cowardly act and called for a thorough investigation and swift repatriation of the victims’ remains.
“We hope for the Iranian side’s full cooperation in investigating the matter and in the timely repatriation of victims’ remains,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafaqat Ali Khan said in a statement on Sunday.
The spokesman confirmed that eight Pakistani nationals were tragically killed yesterday in Mehrestan County, Sistan-Baluchistan province, located approximately 230 kilometres from the Pakistan-Iran border.
He said the Pakistan Mission has already requested consular access to verify their identities. The leadership and people of Pakistan are deeply saddened and perturbed over the tragic incident.
The spokesman said that on the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar Pakistan’s Embassy in Tehran and the Consulate in Zahidan are in constant touch with the Iranian authorities for a comprehensive investigation to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice as well as for prompt repatriation of the victims’ remains to Pakistan.
“Further updates will be provided as soon as additional details regarding the identification of dead bodies and the circumstances leading to their tragic deaths become available,” it concluded.
Pakistan PM concerned
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed concerns over the killing of eight Pakistanis in Iran and called for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
“Terrorism remains a grave threat to the entire region,” the premier said, underscoring the need for a coordinated strategy among neighbouring countries to eliminate the menace.
Iranian embassy in Pakistan
The Embassy of Iran in Pakistan strongly condemned the “inhumane and cowardly armed incident against 8 Pakistani nationals in Iran’s Sistan and Balouchestan province.”
“Terrorism is a chronic plight and a common threat throughout the region by which the traitorous elements, in collaboration with international terrorism, target security and stability throughout the region. Combating this ominous phenomenon requires collective and joint efforts by all countries to eradicate all forms of terrorism and extremism that have claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people in recent decades,” the embassy said in a statement.
