Siraj questions govt’s response to Turbat killings

SHUJAABAD (NNI): Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq expressed deep concern over the alarming surge in crimes across Pakistan on Sunday, stating that incidents involving shedding the blood of the weak, burning the houses of the vulnerable and kidnapping anyone’s daughter had become disturbingly common in the country.
The JI chief conveyed these views during his visit to the residence of a victim of the Turbat shooting.
He argued that there was a severe lack of protection for the rights of the vulnerable in the country, and questioned the government’s response to the Turbat killings.
On Oct 14, unidentified gunmen killed six construction workers and injured two others in a pre-dawn attack on their camp near Turbat in Balochistan’s Kech district.
Police said the labourers were sleeping in an under-construction house when they were attacked, resulting in six instant deaths.
The JI chief expressed regret that no government representative had offered condolences to the grieving families of the shooting victims. He lamented the absence of visits from the president of Pakistan, the chief minister or the governor to condole the impoverished families who had lost their loved ones.
He said that these labourers had gone to Balochistan to make a living, not to engage in political activities or commit robberies.
The JI chief also criticised the police and media, accusing them of favouring the rich over the poor. He claimed that when the mother of a poor person cried out for justice, they seemed to turn a blind eye to her pleas.