QUETTA: The killing of barbers and labourers in Balochistan’s Mashkail area was strongly condemned on Monday, with the attack described as a deliberate targeting of unarmed civilians and daily wage workers.
According to the statement, the victims were labourers from Pakistan’s Punjab province who were earning their livelihoods by providing services to the local community.
The latest killings of workers who belonged to the eastern Punjab province were occurred in Mashkail, located some 300 kilometers from Balochistan’s Washuk city, when militants of the Fitna al Hindustan, ridding on motorbikes, attacked and opened fire on them inside a barber shop.
The locals say the victims were guests in the area and that their killing was contrary to Baloch traditions, particularly the values of hospitality and the protection of guests.
The attack was described as an attempt to fuel ethnic divisions, spread fear and undermine Pakistan’s national unity.
The statement said the killing of unarmed civilians constituted a serious violation of human rights and should be condemned at every level.
Questions were also raised over what the statement described as the silence of some groups that identify themselves as human rights advocates, including the Baloch Yakjehti Committee (BYC) and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), following the killings.
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The statement said terrorism had brought grief, instability and economic hardship to the people of Balochistan. It added that support for, justification of, or silence over such attacks could prolong violence and hinder efforts to restore peace, stability and development in the province.
