ISLAMABAD: Five bullet-riddled bodies found hanging from an electric pole in southwestern Pakistan last week were Afghan nationals and have been returned to their families, Kabul’s embassy in Islamabad said Thursday.
The bodies were discovered on Friday near a college in Dalbandin city, close to the borders with Afghanistan and Iran in Balochistan province.
A statement from the Afghan embassy in Pakistan’s capital said the bodies were handed over to families at the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday shared between the neighbors.
Their consulate in Balochistan made “serious efforts” to return the bodies to waiting relatives in Afghanistan.
“The five Afghans were brutally killed by unknown people,” said the statement shared with AFP on Thursday.
Balochistan, Pakistan’s least populous but largest province, is home to several militant groups, some fighting for independence or a greater share of the region’s mineral resources, with security forces often the target of bombings.
Islamist groups are also behind sectarian violence in the region.
Some 600,000 Afghans have traveled to Pakistan since the Taliban took back power in 2021, and implemented their austere version of Islam.
Since last year, however, Islamabad has waged a campaign to evict huge numbers of undocumented Afghans, as relations with Kabul soured over security.
Bullet-riddled bodies of five Afghans found in Pakistan returned to families
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Bullet-riddled bodies of five Afghans found in Pakistan returned to families
- Bodies were found hanging from an electric pole in southwestern Pakistan last week
- Handed over to families at the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday
Pakistani Muslims shop for Ramadan supplies amid price hike concerns
- Pakistan endured one of Asia’s highest inflation spikes in 2023, nearly 40 percent, exacerbated by a macroeconomic crisis
- PM Shehbaz Sharif this week announced $136 million Ramadan Relief Package for deserving people across Pakistan
KARACHI: Pakistanis thronged markets on Friday and Saturday to shop for supplies ahead of the holy month of Ramadan, while keeping a watchful eye on rising food prices.
In cities such as Karachi, many people were seen buying commodities at the main wholesale market of the city. Some, like Islamabad resident Danish Ali, have noted high inflation as the cause of price hike.
“There are about six or seven days left for Ramadan, so the prices have started to increase,” Ali said. “Now, l have bought banana for 200 rupees a dozen, and it is small size.
“A few days ago it was being sold for 100 rupees a dozen. As Ramadan is starting, inflation is increasing. So is with the prices of vegetable.”
Pakistan endured one of Asia’s highest inflation spikes in 2023, nearing 40 percent, driven by a weakening rupee, rising fuel costs and price hikes linked to IMF-backed reforms.
“Look how much sales tax the government has imposed,” Najeebullah, a shopkeeper selling dates, said.
“I used to pay 100,000 ($357) or 130,000 rupees ($465) for one container. So guess what, the tax has reached 800,000 rupees ($2863) for one container,” he added.
Although inflation has since slowed to 5.8 percent, analysts warn the changes to power prices could add inflationary pressure.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday announced Rs38 billion [$136 million] Ramadan Relief Package which will be disbursed among deserving people across the country, his office said.
