Turbat incident: Deputy Commissioner suspended

QUETTA: Deputy Commissioner Kech Mohammad Aslam Tareen has been suspended over Turbat incident Saturday, Geo News reported.

According to an official statement, Additional Commissioner Naseerabad Mohammad Fateh Bhangar has been deployed as DC Kech.

It is pertinent to mention that unknown gunmen on Friday killed at least 18 people and injured one in Turbat.

According to interior secretary Balochistan, the incident took place in Khadan area of Turbat where the gunmen attacked passengers in waiting lounge who were to cross Pakistan-Iran border as illegal immigrants so they could later head to Europe via Turkey.

Due to indiscriminate firing, 18 people were killed out of which 13 belonged to Punjab and five to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The local administration shifted the bodies to District Headquarter Hospital, Turbat from where they will be sent to their respective areas.

The secretary told that it has been learned that the waiting lounge had been there for sometime that was used for immigrants seeking to go to Iran illegally. People from Karachi used to be brought via Gwadar from where they were sent to border area close to Iran.

Action would also be taken against the local administration officials who did not take any step despite having knowledge of such an activity in the area, the secretary told.

Chief Minister Balochsitan, Aslam Raisani, after taking a notice of the incident had ordered a thorough probe.

He also ordered a crackdown on those who were involved in all kinds of human smuggling.