Judicial tribunal formed to probe into killing of 5 Chechens

A judicial inquiry was launched into the killing of five Chechens in Quetta on Wednesday that would be headed by of Balochistan High Court Justice Mohammad Hashim Kakar.

Five Chechens, including three women, were killed in Quetta’s Kharoatabad area on May 17 by FC and police firing on suspicion of being suicide bombers.

The judicial inquiry tribunal would hold probe into the case to find the facts of the incident, the reasons that led to the killings, five foreigners, including a seven month pregnant woman, fix the responsibility of the incident and make recommendations to check such incidents in the future.

The tribunal will submit its report within a month is likely to start working tomorrow (Monday).

The post mortem report said the death of all five people came by bullet injuries, contrary to the claims of Capital City Police Officer Daud Junejo that the Chechens died in a hand grenade blast.

The report of the Bomb Disposal Squad of the Balochistan Police was also submitted to the provincial government, declaring that no suicide jacket or explosives were receoverd from the bodies of all five victims. However, the report said two safety levers of hand grenades were found close to the bodies and one of the two men was wearing the ring carrying safety pin of hand grenade.

The report further mentioned that two watch timers and some 50 non-electric fuses were found in emptied bottles of shampoo.

Earlier, the Russian embassy in Islamabad contacted the Foreign Office for more details about the incident, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tehmina Janjua said, without elaborating.

“An investigation is underway and when completed we will convey it to the Russian embassy,” she told reporters.