Balochistan minister accused of Barkhan murders arrested

F.P. Report
QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Construction and Communications Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran Wednesday was arrested in connection with the gruesome murder of three people, the police said — as the bullet-riddled bodies were found in a well in the Barkhan district.
Meanwhile, the heirs of victims of Barkhan incident continued their sit-in in Quetta on Wednesday. The heirs of the deceased have appealed to the government that a case should be registered against Provincial Minister for Communication and Works Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran.
They also demanded of the government that five missing persons should be recovered immediately. They threatened to continue their sit-in till acceptance of their demand. It was the second day of their protest sin-in. The protesters have unveiled their six-point demands. They have demanded suspension of provincial minister, besides his arrest. They said they won’t accept any judicial commission. They further said a case should be registered against Abdul Rehman Khetran. The five missing persons should also be recovered.
The protesters further said that a judicial commission led by a Balochistan High Court judge should be constituted to probe the incident. Meanwhile, after the Barkhan murders, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo on Wednesday directed police to recover the abducted children of Khan Muhammad Marri from Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran’s private jail.
CM Bizenjo has issued directives to additional chief secretary home, IGP Balochistan for the recovery of abducted children and women. The development came after Khetran’s son released the pictures of the ‘abducted children’ on social media. The pictures posted on Inam Khetran’s social media showed the children including the ones who had been killed and others who are reportedly alive.
The set of pictures showed the children working somewhere, whereas, a photo showed an abducted girl. Inam Khetran said that the remaining children of Khan Muhammad Marri are still in the captivity of his father – the Balochistan minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran. He claimed that Marri’s elder daughter is currently present in a house in Barkhan and the son was present in a house in Quetta.
Earlier, police raided the minister’s house in the Patel Bagh area to recover the abducted five children of Khan Muhammad Marri. The police spokesperson said that women cops also took part in the raid. During the raid, police searched the whole house including the guestroom. The alliance of Marri tribes including the heirs of the victims staged a sit-in along with the bodies in the Red Zone of Quetta.
The sit-in of the Marri alliance is being led by its chairman Jahangir Marri. While talking to the media, Jahangir Marri said that several tribals were allegedly kept in the private jails of the provincial minister Sardar Abdul Rehman Khetran for four years. Marri said that the police did not register the First Information Report (FIR). He added that Khetran is part of the Balochistan government and they want to demand justice from the Centre. He announced that the sit-in will be continued until the provincial minister Khetran is not arrested.
Balochistan Home Department constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) under the supervision of DIG Loralai Division to probe into the cold-blooded murders in Barkhan. The Balochistan Home Department appointed Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Loralai Division as the JIT chairman while other members include Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Investigation Quetta and the representative of the Special Branch Barkhan.
Three bullet-riddled bodies of a woman and her two sons were recovered from a well by police in Balochistan’s Barkhan district. Police said that the slain woman was the wife of a citizen namely Khan Muhammad Marri and the other bodies were identified as her two sons. Police detailed that all three victims were killed in the firing, whereas, the woman’s face was horribly distorted by pouring acid on it.