Pakistan repatriates eight nationals killed in Iran border attack

By Staff Reporter

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan repatriated the bodies of eight nationals on Thursday who were killed in Iran’s southeastern Sistan-Baluchestan province last week, the military said.

The victims, auto repair technicians from Punjab province’s Bahawalpur district, killed in a shooting in Mehrestan County near the Pakistan-Iran border. Their remains were flown to Bahawalpur aboard a Pakistan Air Force C-130 aircraft, the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement.

“Upon arrival at Bahawalpur Airport, a solemn ceremony was held to receive the deceased, with civil and military officials in attendance to pay their respects and offer condolences to the bereaved families,” ISPR said. “The armed forces stand united with the nation in this hour of grief and reaffirm their unwavering resolve against terrorism in all its forms.”

The banned Baloch National Army (BNA), a separatist group active in Pakistan’s Balochistan province, claimed responsibility in a statement to media. However, France’s AFP news agency reported that Sunni militant group Jaishul Adl also asserted responsibility.

The attack triggered diplomatic activities between the neighboring states of Pakistan and Iran.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week urged Tehran to swiftly prosecute the perpetrators. Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a call with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, pledged “full cooperation” in the investigation.

Thousands of Pakistanis, many from underprivileged backgrounds, cross into Iran for informal work in construction, agriculture and repair services. The killings have raised concerns about the safety of these migrant workers in Iran’s border region, which has long been volatile due to insurgent activity.

Baloch separatists, including the BNA, have waged a decades-long insurgency in Pakistan’s resource-rich Balochistan province, accusing the state of marginalization. Islamabad denies the charges, citing infrastructure investments in the region.

The latest deaths underscore vulnerabilities faced by migrant workers. In January, nine Pakistani laborers were killed in Sistan-Baluchestan, weeks after Pakistan and Iran conducted rare reciprocal airstrikes targeting militant hideouts.