Three people, who were found murdered in Barkhan, were laid to rest near Eastern Bypass in Quetta on Saturday. The dead bodies were shifted from Fayyaz Sumbal Square to Police Lines and then taken to Khan Muhammad Marri. The family of Khan Marri including his wife and children had a last look at the dead and then bodies were taken to QDA Graveyard at Eastern Bypass. The dead bodies were buried after funeral prayers.

Khan Muhammad Marri was also present on the occasion in presence of heavy contingent of police at QDA Graveyard. Hundreds of Marri tribesmen, who had been protesting for the last five days in the Quetta’s Red Zone along with three bodies found in the Barkhan area, called off the sit-in on Friday evening after the wife of Khan Muhammad Marri reunited with him along with their children at the sit-in camp and authorities accepted their demands.

Moving scenes were witnessed at the camp when Ms Granaz and her children, who are believed to have spent years in a private jail, reunited with Marri after four years. Two of the dead were sons of Khan Marri while the third one, a woman, is yet to be identified.

Jahangir Marri, general secretary of the Marri Ittehad Pakistan, while announcing the end to the protest, said the government had accepted their demands. He said the government had also assured them that an FIR would be registered after recording of the statements of the victim family members who were detained somewhere and recovered by the security forces the other day.

Earlier, Ms Granaz, wife of Khan Marri, and their five children — a 17-year-old daughter and four sons — reached Quetta on Friday morning in a procession amid tight security. The woman and her children burst into tears while meeting Khan Marri after over four years. Khan Marri remained in hiding all these years somewhere out of Balochistan and returned to Quetta the other day amid tight security.

Granaz, who was constantly crying after seeing the coffins in the ambulance, wanted to have a glimpse of her sons, but was not allowed to do so. Later, the police took Ms Granaz and her children into protective custody. “They would be produced before a magistrate for recording their statements about their captivity,” a police officer said, adding that after recording their statements they would be handed over to the family.

Khan Marri, who was happy after reuniting with his family, said: “My wife and children have been recovered, so there is no need to continue the sit-in. I am thankful to the Marri tribesmen and people of other communities who supported me and participated in the protest which helped in the recovery of my family and acceptance of our demands.”

Credit: Independent News Pakistan-INP