QUETTA: Talks between the Balochistan government and the sit-in committee representing the families of victims of the Ziarat attack reached a major breakthrough, with both sides agreeing on a draft agreement to end the nine-day sit-in and allow the victims to be laid to rest.
Sources claimed that both sides had agreed on the draft of a proposed settlement. The agreement is expected to be signed by representatives of the government delegation and the sit-in committee on Friday.
The government delegation was led by Provincial Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove and included provincial ministers Bakht Muhammad Kakar, Mir Saleem Khosa and Mir Asim Kurd Gello, as well as Senator Manzoor Kakar and Bilal Kakar.
The protest committee included Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal, Asghar Khan Achakzai, Agha Hassan Baloch and Maulana Qadir Loni, among others.
The signed draft will be presented to the protesters after Friday prayers, according to the sources.
Following the agreement, the bodies of the victims will be transported to their hometowns for burial.
The sources also dismissed reports circulating on social media, saying they were false and did not reflect the progress made during the negotiations.
Talks between the government negotiating team and the sit-in committee will continue, the sources added.
The sit-in entered its ninth consecutive day on Friday. The protesters are demanding justice for police personnel killed in the Fitna al Khawarij terrorist attack on the Mangi Dam police post in Ziarat.
Earlier, the government and protest representatives held several rounds of talks over the past week. However, they failed to reach an agreement.
Earlier, Langove said the government had accepted most of the protesters’ demands. He said the provincial government had agreed to establish a judicial commission to investigate the attack.
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Relatives of the slain policemen, political leaders, civil society activists and local residents continued to participate in the sit-in. They called for justice for the victims and tougher action against Indian-sponsored terrorists across the province.
