Baloch terrorists belonging to the militant Baloch Liberation Front shot and killed at least 19 coach passengers in the Dasht area Friday morning, political sources reached by this correspondent in Mekran said.
All the passengers were trying to secretly cross into Iran for onwards journey to Turkey and finally to Europe. "The killings occurred in Hor Shooli area in Dasht Friday morning. The victims belonged to different ethnic groups Punjabis, Pashtuns and Sindhis," one source said on condition of not being named.
Though the B.L.F. used a pseudonym Baloch Liberation Tigers to own the massacre, there is no such organization by the name of B.L.T. in Mekran and the action was a trademark of the B.L.F., well-informed sources said.
The B.L.F. also falsely accused the victims of being Punjabi settlers.
The B.L.F. commander who allegedly oversaw Friday's massacre was identified as Dilip Shikari. They were allegedly eight gunmen who came on three motorbikes. After verifying the identity of the passengers, they killed all the non-Baloch passengers by opening fire on them with Kalashnikovs or AK-47 assault rifles.
The terrorists allowed the Baloch driver to go. One of the victim was seriously wounded.
The Tamil Tiger-style killings by the B.L.F. have raised concerns and consternation among moderate Baloch nationalists that their struggle would earn regional and global infamy.
An offshoot of the B.L.F. which has risen in popularity in Mekran in recent months named Baloch National Liberation Front regretted the massacre of the innocent civilians.
"We cannot afford such enmity with different ethnic groups," said Sattar Baloch, founder of the B.N.L.F. who was once torture victim himself. "The situation must be rectified before it is too late," he demanded.
The B.L.F. is committing crimes against humanity with impunity in Mekran, local residents say.
On July 4, the B.L.F. is alleged to have forcibly disappeared Bahram Baloch, 20, son of Qadir Bakhsh Baloch from Mand Giyab area on a charge that he was a government informer.
The B.L.F. is closely allied with London-based former Balochistan education minister Hyrbyair Marri. The militant outfit also has a couple of supporters in Canada and the U.S.
<Masti Khan Report>
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