Senior advisor to Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik on Saturday took serious notice of the killings of illegal immigrants in Turbat and directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to apprehend the human traffickers within the next three days.
He also directed the Director General FIA to submit details of the unfortunate incident and also directed FIA to launch a crack down against human smugglers. The advisor got a detailed briefing from chief and home secretaries of Balochistan and directed additional director general and director FIA Quetta human trafficking to reach Quetta immediately.
He urged the people to avoid illegal means of migration to other countries. According to media reports, eighteen alleged illegal immigrants were shot dead and two others wounded when unidentified armed men attacked their vehicles in the Basoli, some 750 kilometers from Quetta. The Iranian border is about 20 kilometers from the spot where the incident took place. The majority of the deceased belonged to Gujranwala, Gujrat and Sialkot. They were waiting for a pick up to cross the international border through a difficult and illegal route to reach Iran for better economic prospects. The human traffickers use difficult terrains to dodge Iranian border guards. It may be noted here that Taftan and Mand Tehsils of Chaghi and Turbat districts on the Pak-Iran border are two exit points.