The judicial commission formed to probe the mass graves discovered in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district on Tuesday absolved the armed forces and intelligence agencies of responsibility in the case, media reports stated.
Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Malik Baloch had established a judicial commission headed by Justice Noor Muhammad Maskanzai of the Balochistan High Court to conduct an enquiry into the mass graves in the Totak area of Khuzdar district.
According to the report, “No one has recorded any statement against the armed forces and security agencies and no evidence of involvement of intelligence agencies has been found in connection with the mass graves.”
The commission, however, said that it was the core responsibility of the administration to protect the lives and properties of the people, and that the recovery of mass graves was the result of negligence on part of the civil administration.
The judicial commission submitted its report to the government after conducting an inquiry into the incident.
A total of 17 dead bodies were retrieved from the mass grave.
The commission recorded the statements of 57 individuals in connection with the case but stated that only witness number 38 had recorded statements against intelligence agencies, but that could not be verified.
Khuzdar is considered to be one of the most sensitive districts of Balochistan with targeted killings, bombings and rocket attacks having claimed scores of lives in the district and forced many to migrate to Sindh and other parts of Balochistan.