Baloch group rejects Pakistan govt probe as 66 Multan hospital bodies buried

Lahore [Pakistan], October 20 (ANI): A Baloch rights group has rejected an inquiry committee set up by the Punjab government on the matter concerning the corpses found at a Multan hospital and appealed to Pakistan’s apex court to take notice of this tragedy and fulfil the demand of justice.
The Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP) expressed concern over the recent discovery of ‘hundreds’ of bodies on the roof of Nishtar Hospital in Multan, the Dawna newspaper reported.
Videos of bodies dumped on the Nishtar Hospital’s rooftop rattled Pakistan after it was shared on social media last week. Dozens of mutilated bodies were found on the rooftop of the hospital’s mortuary, the Pakistan newspaper said citing official sources.
Addressing a press conference, VBMP chairman Nasarullah Baloch said the Pakistan Supreme Court had on a 2015 petition regarding recovery of mutilated bodies ordered a probe into the reason of death. However, the order was never implemented.
Nasarullah Baloch said the court order for DNA test of the bodies recovered from the Totak area of Khuzdar district was not implemented.
The protest by several rights organisations including VBMP, comes after the Nishtar Hospital administration and Edhi Foundation on Wednesday buried the remains of 66 putrefied bodies.
Earlier this week, Pakistani lawmakers belonging to the ruling coalition urged the Shehbaz Sharif government to carry out DNA tests of the dead bodies found on the rooftop of Multan hospital.
Legislators requesting the DNA test, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Kishwar Zehra, fear that the corpses could be of people who went missing from Sindh and the erstwhile tribal areas of the country, according to Dawn.
Addressing the National Assembly, Zehra and other legislators, endorsed a parliamentary investigation into the matter after seeking a report from the Punjab government.
“Our party demands that DNA tests of all these bodies should be conducted. We are not yet tired of searching for our missing people. God forbid, our people can be [among them],” Zehra was quoted as saying by Dawn.
On October 14, multiple unidentified and decomposing bodies were found lying on the rooftop of the Nishtar hospital’s mortuary. An investigation began following orders from the province’s additional chief secretary to form a six-member committee.
After receiving an initial inquiry report of the incident, Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi suspended three doctors, three hospital employees, and two police officials posted in the area.
Thousands of people forcibly disappearing is a severe and longstanding issue in Pakistan. Despite efforts by civil society, there is no end to the issue of enforced disappearances in Pakistan, as the state continues to use it with impunity. (ANI)