Zee News : Independent judicial commission probe sought into Bugti death

Friday, September 08, 2006

Independent judicial commission probe sought into Bugti death

Islamabad | September 8, 2006

Noted Pakistani human rights activist Asma Jehangir has demanded that an independent judicial commission investigate the killing of tribal chief Nawab Akbar Bugti in an army operation as well as the "injustices" done to the restive Balochistan province.

After visiting Bugti's family members in Quetta yesterday, she told reporters that avoiding the rebel leader's post-mortem was a "strange act."

If Bugti's death was a coincidence, why did the government not explain it to the nation? She asked and demanded an independent judicial commission probe into the killing of the tribal chief as well as the "injustices" done to Balochistan.

Jehangir said Bugti's death was not a provincial issue, adding that the entire country was concerned over the killing.

She blamed the establishment for trying to divide the nation and said that Bugti's killing and later his state burial were "an injustice to the Baloch people."

Even common Punjabis had condemned the killing and criticised the government for not handing Bugti's body over to his family, she said.

Jehangir said that several women of the Bugti tribe were concerned about the disappearance of their sons and husbands, who had allegedly been kidnapped by intelligence agencies.

Bureau Report