In the Aapsar area of Turbat, the Pakistani security forces reportedly killed an elderly woman and critically wounded her husband when they opened indiscriminate fire on them. The incident has engendered widespread condemnation and resentment among the locals who announced protests in Turbat to bring the culprits to justice.
According to the details, the slain woman, identified as Taj Bibi, and her elderly husband were on their way to the nearby hills to cut wood when the security forced opened fire on them. The woman received several bullets to the head and was killed at the scene, whereas her husband was critically injured. He was subsequently moved to the hospital where his condition is still not stable.
The local sources said that the victims used to live in a small village near the mountains, but there were forcefully uprooted by the security forces who accused them of assisting the Baloch “pro-independence” groups. Along with her other family members, Taj Bibi moved to the outskirts of Turbat city where she lived in makeshift huts. She and her husband used to cut and sell the wood to earn meagre sustenance.
The authorities have not yet commented on the incident.
The incident engendered a massive outcry in Turbat where members of the civil society announced protests to bring justice to the slain Taj Bibi and her husband. The civil society leaders said that the killing of Taj Bibi is another incident of state-sponsored violence in Balochistan – a practice that has persisted for decades.
In the previous year, the security forces killed Hayat Baloch, a student at the University of Karachi, in broad daylight in Turbat. The FC officials said that he had been killed “accidentally” – notwithstanding the fact that he was tied and terribly beaten before being shot dead.
The civil society officials announced a protest on September 23 in Turbat to bring the perpetrators of the incident to justice.