ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar said on Thursday that the Director-General of FIA should accept that he can’t take steps to stop human smuggling in Pakistan.
These comments were made by the chief justice during a hearing on the killing of 20 people in Turbat. Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar had taken suo moto notice of the incident.
Chief Secretary Balochistan and Director-General Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) were also present during the hearing.
“We do not have the required resources to carry out an investigation,” claimed DG FIA during the hearing.
“Which state agency is not extending its cooperation to you?” asked the chief justice. “You should accept that you cannot stop human smuggling.”
DG FIA said that 20 people had been murdered in Turbat due to their ethnicity.
The five migrants whose corpses were found in the district of Ketch near the Iranian border had been killed two days ago, said provincial government spokesman Anwaar ul Haq.
As with the previous 15 they were ethnic Punjabis who were illegally travelling to Iran, he said.
Senior administration official Akbar Harifal said the killings seemed to be the work of separatist groups. The army said a separatist leader believed to have murdered the 15 had been killed.
People-traffickers use the Balochistan route to smuggle workers from Punjab province to European countries via Iran. Some die on the way due to harsh conditions or attacks by Baloch separatists.
The army said troops on Friday killed a Baloch militant commander, Younas Taukali, 25 kilometres (15 miles) north of the area where the bodies of the migrant workers were recovered.
“Terrorist Younas was involved in killing 15 innocent people belonging to Punjab on Nov 15,” an army statement said, adding he had also ambushed security force convoys and killed many civilians.
