A strong public outcry has erupted after Pakistani army jets and drones targeted civilian population in Gadar (Gandan) area of Sorab district of Balochistan, killing innocent civilians, women and children. Relatives have placed the bodies on the Quetta-Karachi main highway (N-25) against the incident and staged a sit-in, due to which all traffic has been suspended.
Protesters and local population have rejected the claim of the Pakistan Army’s Public Relations Department (ISPR) as a complete lie and ‘drama’ and have termed the incident as a heinous state war crime of Baloch genocide.
According to local sources, police and relief teams, over 20 people have been killed and over 16 seriously injured in the bombing, who have been shifted to DHQ Hospital Sorab. The dead include women, the elderly and children.
The dead who have been identified so far include Raj Babu (wife of Rasool Bakhsh), Safiya (wife of Noorjan), 2-year-old Jalal (son of Noorjan), Shabbir Ahmed (son of Khudadad), Noorjan (son of Rasool Bakhsh) and Karim Dad (son of Rasool Bakhsh). (Earlier, the death of Murad Bano, wife of Rasool Bakhsh, was also confirmed).
The injured include 7 young children, including 1-year-old Amir, 1-year-old Asim, 2-year-old Zia-ur-Rehman, 3-year-old Rahbia, 4-year-old Haseena, 5-year-old Sadia and 7-year-old Fatima.
The injured include more than 9 men and women, including Zahra bint Abdul Aziz, Shah Sara, Sabiya, Hajra.
Locals say that the death toll is much higher and the bodies of many of the dead are still in the custody of the forces and are not being handed over to their heirs.
Public circles allege that security forces are trying to erase all evidence by taking control of the scene, while viral photos and videos on social media clearly prove that the general population and children were bombed by jets.
Immediately after the incident, the relatives of the deceased and locals started a sit-in by placing the bodies at Sorab Main Chowk on the Quetta-Karachi main highway (N-25). The highway has been blocked, causing long queues of vehicles on both sides.
The protesters say that the sit-in will continue until their demands are met and justice is not served.
Balochistan National Party chief Sardar Akhtar Mengal reacted strongly to the incident and raised the question: “Do these children look extremist? These are innocent children, what is their fault? Can peace ever be established by killing children?”
He added: “Is this Palestine? Is this Kashmir? No, this is Balochistan.”
Sami Din Baloch, the leader of the Baloch Solidarity Committee (BYC), expressed deep concern over the killing of civilians, especially women and children, condemned the atrocities and demanded a transparent investigation into the incident and accountability of those responsible.
Advocate Sajid Tareen, in his response on the social media platform ‘X’, termed the claims of the death of 27 people, including women and children, as sad and shameful and expressed his condolences and solidarity with the affected families.
On the other hand, the Pakistan Army’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has claimed that militants were preparing explosives to be planted in a vehicle in Sorab, which exploded prematurely.
According to the military spokesman, 8 armed men were killed in the explosion of the explosives and 3 civilians were killed in the damage to nearby residences. Another 10 armed men who escaped were killed in a joint clearance operation by security forces and Balochistan Police. A total of 18 armed men were killed during the operation, while 2 soldiers were injured.
However, the protesters in Sorab, the families of the deceased and the local people have completely rejected the statement of the military spokesman, calling it rhetoric and an attempt to hide the truth, and have demanded an independent investigation into the incident at the international level.
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