The Pashtunkhwa National Awami Party (PNAP) has condemned a reported drone strike that killed a Pashtun labourer and injured six others in Balochistan’s Kech district, demanding an impartial investigation and legal action against those found responsible.
In a statement, the party said state forces had carried out the strike on people engaged in farming and manual labour in Dasht Cher Kuncheti. It identified the man killed as Hafiz Khan Akakhel, son of Mullah Abdullah, a resident of Kuchlak, Quetta.
The injured were identified as Hakeem Mullakhel, son of Nasir Khan; Izzat, son of Muhammad Akbar; Gul Alam Mullakhel, son of Noor Muhammad; Ehsanullah, son of Muhammad Alam; Muhammad Alam, son of Noor Muhammad; and Rahmatullah, son of Muhammad Akbar. All were residents of Quetta, the party said.
The PNAP said Pashtun labourers travelled far from their homes to support their families through farming and manual work, yet “instead of receiving protection”, they were being killed and injured.
Endangering poor labourers and unarmed civilians at work was “unacceptable under any circumstances”, it said.
Pashtuns were already facing unrest, unemployment, economic hardship and insecurity, the statement said, adding that a lack of safety at their workplaces compounded those difficulties.
Civilian deaths and injuries in operations by state forces spread fear and raised serious questions about state institutions’ responsibility to protect the public, it said.
The party stressed that protecting civilians, labourers and agricultural workers must be “a fundamental priority in any security operation”, with precautions taken to establish civilians’ presence and identity and prevent casualties.
“The loss of unarmed civilian lives could neither be treated as routine nor ignored,” the statement said.
The PNAP demanded an immediate, impartial and transparent investigation, saying the reasons and circumstances behind the strike must be made public. It called for legal action if negligence, carelessness or unlawful conduct by any institution or official was established.
Hafiz Khan’s family should receive appropriate compensation and financial assistance, while the government should cover all treatment costs for the injured and ensure they received the best medical care, the party said.
It also demanded effective measures to protect labourers and agricultural workers, publication of the investigation’s findings and a clear strategy to prevent similar incidents.
The PNAP expressed condolences to Hafiz Khan’s family and wished the injured a speedy recovery, reaffirming its commitment to a political and democratic struggle for the rights and safety of Pashtuns, labourers, farmers and all oppressed working people.
Local sources had earlier said Pakistani forces carried out the drone strike after armed fighters attacked a military convoy with explosives and gunfire in the area. They said the affected labourers were working in watermelon fields.