QUETTA: Funeral prayers for seven police personnel martyred in the Ziarat tragedy were offered here on Saturday before they were laid to rest with full official honours in their native towns, while a nine-day protest sit-in by the victims’ families was called off following successful negotiations with the Balochistan government.
The sit-in at Kohila Phattak in Quetta, staged by the families of the slain policemen and supported by political parties, ended after talks between the provincial government and the bereaved families of the officers martyred in Mangi, Ziarat.
Following the agreement, the bodies of the seven policemen were shifted from the protest site to the football ground of Ayub Stadium, where collective funeral prayers were attended by a large number of political leaders, government officials, party workers and members of the public.
Among those present were Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Member of the National Assembly Khushal Khan Kakar, Senator Manzoor Khan Kakar, Provincial Ministers Mir Ziaullah Langove, Mir Asim Kurd Gello and Bakht Muhammad Kakar, National Party General Secretary Mir Kabir Ahmed Muhammad Shahi, BNP Senior Vice President Sajid Tareen, ANP Balochistan President Asghar Khan Achakzai, PTI Balochistan President Daud Shah Kakar, Hazara Democratic Party leader Qadir Ali Nayel, BNP leader Mir Akhtar Hussain Langove, Quetta Commissioner Shahzaib Kakar, Malik Majeed Kakar, along with leaders and workers of various political parties.
Participants expressed heartfelt condolences and solidarity with the bereaved families, praying for patience and strength for the relatives, the eternal peace and forgiveness of the martyrs, and lasting peace and stability in the country.
A sombre atmosphere prevailed across Quetta during the funeral, with mourners visibly overcome with grief as they paid their final respects to the fallen policemen.
After the funeral prayers, the bodies were transported to their native areas, where they were buried later on Saturday with full state honours.
The policemen were among a group of 30 personnel who had been deployed on July 6 to protect a pumping station in the Mangi area of Ziarat. They were abducted by militants and later martyred.
Following the recovery of the bodies, the victims’ families launched a protest at Coal Phattak in Quetta. While some of the martyrs had already been buried, the sit-in continued for nine days with the remaining seven bodies until an agreement was reached with the provincial government, leading to the end of the protest.
