In a shocking act of violence across the border, eight Pakistani workers were brutally killed in Iran’s Sistan-Baluchestan province early Saturday, sending waves of grief through their hometown of Bahawalpur.
According to Iranian authorities, the victims—car mechanics by trade—were attacked while sleeping at a workshop in Meharistan district. The unidentified gunmen reportedly tied the hands and feet of the men before opening fire, executing them at point-blank range.
All the deceased hailed from Bahawalpur, and five of them have been identified as Dilshad, his son Muhammad Naeem, Jaffar, Danish, and Nasir. Iranian police responded to the scene, recovered the bodies, and shifted them to a local hospital.
Responsibility for the gruesome attack was claimed by the banned outfit Balochistan National Army (BNA), which released a statement to the media.
This marks the second targeted killing of Pakistani workers in the region in recent years. A similar attack occurred earlier in which nine Pakistanis, also working as mechanics, were shot dead in their workshop.
Iranian officials have launched a full investigation into the latest killings.