Pakistan(National Times)- BAHAWALPUR: The bodies of eight Pakistani nationals who were killed in Iran’s Sistan province earlier this week were brought back to Pakistan in the early hours of Thursday. According to officials, the special flight carrying the bodies of Pakistani nationals landed at Bahawalpur Airport around 3am. Of the eight victims, seven belonged to Khanqah Sharif in Bahawalpur, while one was from Shujaabad, located in the Multan district. The bodies of the victims who tragically lost their lives in a terrorist attack in Iran have been transported via ambulances to their native areas for burial. In Bahawalpur, the funeral prayers for five of the deceased were held collectively in their hometown of Khanqah Sharif. The prayers took place at the Government High School’s ground and were attended by Federal Parliamentary Secretary Usman Owaisi, Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Shoaib Owaisi, and numerous others. Separately, the funeral prayers for Muhammad Jamshed, one of the victims, were held in his ancestral village of Mehrabwala, also in the Bahawalpur region. The funeral prayers for Muhammad Khalid, another victim of the attack, are scheduled to take place in Ahmedpur Sharqia. The tragic incident took place on April 12 when unknown terrorists shot and killed the men in Iran’s Sistan province, where they worked as motor mechanics at a local workshop. The victims were killed by unidentified gunmen at their workshop in Mehrestan district, located about 230 kilometres from the Pakistan-Iran border. In response, the Government of Pakistan has strongly condemned the attack and formally demanded that Iran arrest the culprits and ensure they are brought to justice. The impoverished Sistan-Baluchestan region has long been the scene of sporadic clashes between security forces and separatist militants and smugglers carrying opium from Afghanistan. The region has witnessed several similar incidents in recent years, including shootings, smuggling, and border clashes due to its strategic location. Expressing deep concern over the incident, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif urged the Iranian government to swiftly apprehend those responsible for the brutal killing and to ensure they are given exemplary punishment. He had called it a heinous act of terrorism and demanded that Iranian authorities disclose the motives behind the attack to the public. Pakistani labourers commonly work in vehicle repair and agriculture in Iran’s border region; however, the recent killings signal growing insecurity for foreign workers in the country’s eastern areas. In January 2024, at least nine Pakistanis were killed and three sustained injuries in a firing incident in Iran’s southeastern region near the border with Pakistan, just a day after Pakistan and Iran officially resumed diplomatic ties following a brief strain.