THE Balochistan government may want to put the Kharotabad killings behind it, but the route it has adopted can only incur further criticism. The judicial inquiry into the May 17 incident, in which five unarmed Russian nationals were gunned down by police and Frontier Corps officials, was initiated after much delay. On Oct 26, the Balochistan government sacked two sub-inspectors (the city police chief of the time had already retired) and, apparently, considered the case closed. On Friday, however, the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Human Rights criticised the judicial report and, to quote committee chairman Riaz Fatyana, called it “controversial” and “non-professional”. Indeed, there are too many unanswered questions. First, there is the issue of the FC man killed in the incident. What exactly were the circumstances of his death that led to the official attempt to downplay it? Then, what was the basis on which the law-enforcement personnel jumped to the conclusion that the group comprised suicide bombers? Along the chain of command, was a decision made at any point to try and hush up the matter as apparent from officialdom’s initial insistence that the dead had been terrorists? According to available evidence it appears that the five people were innocent civilians who were, at worst, and as claimed earlier by the administration, entering the country illegally. Even so — and no evidence has been presented before the public to support this claim — it did not warrant such trigger-happy behaviour.

These killings require far greater attention than the half-hearted approach taken until now. If the inquiry found certain officials guilty of enough involvement to merit the termination of their services, why are they not being made to stand trial? Establishing culpability is a matter for the courts to decide, so that justice is not only served but also seen to be served. Until that happens, the provincial government’s evasive manoeuvres imply an attempt to hush up the matter. There is a parallel example at hand: sentences have already been handed down in the killing of Sarfaraz Shah in Karachi. The provincial administration cannot be allowed to simply sweep the Kharotabad killings under the rug.