Students and activists gathered in several areas of Balochistan, including Quetta and Turbat, and the federal capital Islamabad to protest against the killing of Mehrab Pandrani, a minor who was tortured and eventually murdered by influential businessmen. The protestors carried banners and placards and raised slogans, demanding justice for the slain thirteen-year-old.
Mehrab Pandrani worked as a stay-in servant for the Doulat Khan Lehri, the co-owner of the Sadabahar transport services and an influential businessman. According to reports, Mehrab was tortured and subsequently killed by Lehri’s sons. Viral photos of the slain child on social media show gruesome torture marks on his body.
Akhtar Ali, another servant at Lehri’s house, was also tortured alongside Mehrab. In his statement to the police, he said that the Lehris had tortured him and Mehrab at their house in Karachi and then brought them to Balochistan. According to Mehrab’s medical reports, he had numerous purple bruises on his body and several broken ribs. He was likely tortured with a metal rod and then electrified, which ultimately resulted in his death.
In the federal capital Islamabad, the Baloch Yakjehti Committee called a protest in front of the National Press Club against the killing of Mehrab Pandrani. Hundreds of participants, predominantly Baloch students, gathered outside the press club to demand justice for the slain child.
Addressing the gathering in Quetta, the speakers said that “tyranny” and “oppression” pervade every corner of Balochistan today. They said that the wealthy and the influential people consider themselves above the law in this country, which is why they can inflict all sorts of tyranny on the innocent and easily get away with it. “What they did to Mehrab Pandrani is horrendous – no one does that to an animal”, one speaker said.
They said that a functional law and justice system is non-existent in Balochistan today. “We are being profiled here today for carrying out a peaceful protest. But 15 days after the incident, the authorities have still not apprehended the murderers. This is a telltale sign that the culprits are secretly being helped by the people in power.”
They said that this is not an isolated incident, but rather the continuation of a chain. A similar incident occurred in Fort Munro, Dera Ghazi Khan, where burglars breached into a house and killed three of the house members inside. This incident occurred in the vicinity of a Frontier Corps checkpoint. But ironically, the so-called ‘protectors of the people’ didn’t raise a finger when a family was slaughtered just a kilometre away, they said.
The protestors said that Mehrab Pandrani’s horrendous, inhumane murder must be thoroughly investigated – the government and the authorities must play their indispensable part in bringing the culprits to justice. Instead of silencing the issue – as they have been for the past few days – the police and other law enforcement agencies must come forward and apprehend the criminals, the protestors demanded.
The Baloch Yakjehti Committee also held a protest in Islamabad where students, activists, teachers and people from different walks of life participated. The protestors gathered and sat in front of the National Press Club and demanded justice for the slain Mehrab Pandrani. The speakers said that a majority of such gruesome incidents never find their way to the mainstream media. The protestors demanded that the authorities thoroughly investigate the incident and punish the culprits accordingly.
A protest was also organized in Turbat, the central city of district Kech, against the murder of Mehrab Pandrani. The protestors said that criminals must be arrested and brought to justice.The law enforcement agencies and the government have so far done nothing to apprehend the perpetrators. Despite all the protests and social media campaigns, Doulat Khan Lehri and his sons are yet to see the jail. The Quetta police had sealed the Sadabahar Terminal – the epicentre of the Sadabahar transport services in Quetta – for several hours, but it was eventually opened.