The bodies of eight Pakistani nationals who were brutally killed in a terrorist attack in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province were airlifted to Bahawalpur on Thursday aboard a special aircraft.

According to the Foreign Office, the Iranian authorities handed over the bodies to Pakistan following due legal and diplomatic procedures. The repatriation was coordinated in consultation with the Pakistani Embassy in Tehran and the Consulate in Zahedan.

The deceased — identified as Muhammad Amir, Muhammad Dilshad, Muhammad Nasir, Malik Jamshed, Muhammad Danish, Muhammad Naeem, Ghulam Jafar, and Muhammad Khalid — all hailed from Bahawalpur and were employed as motor mechanics in the remote Mehrestan district of Sistan province, near the Pakistan-Iran border.

Pakistanis were killed in Iran. File photo

Following their arrival in Pakistan, the bodies were transported by ambulances from Bahawalpur Airport to their respective native towns for burial.

Earlier this week, armed assailants attacked a workshop where the victims were working, killing them on the spot. Iranian authorities have since launched an investigation, with officials vowing to identify and punish the perpetrators.

Speaking to Samaa TV, a representative of the Iranian Embassy in Islamabad confirmed the deaths and stated that Iranian police had begun a full-scale probe. "Each of the terrorists responsible will be tracked down and punished to the fullest extent," the spokesperson said, adding that Tehran was coordinating closely with Islamabad on the matter.

The Pakistani Foreign Office, while confirming the incident, said that both its embassy and consulate remained in close contact with Iranian counterparts and local law enforcement.

“We are aware of this heartbreaking incident and will respond formally once all facts are verified,” said Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch.

Diplomatic and political reaction

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the killings and urged Iran to take swift action against the perpetrators. “The scourge of terrorism is devastating for the entire region.

Regional countries must work together on a coordinated strategy to root it out,” he said. The Prime Minister also directed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide assistance to the victims' families and ensure the safe return of the deceased to Pakistan.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident, terming it a “heart-wrenching tragedy” and assured the bereaved families of the government's support.

In a separate development, a resolution condemning the killings was submitted in the Punjab Assembly by PML-N lawmaker Hina Pervez Butt. The resolution called on Iranian authorities to arrest and hand over the killers, while noting that such incidents threaten the fabric of Pak-Iran brotherly relations.

This was not the first such incident. On January 27 this year, a similar attack in Saravan, another border town in Sistan, claimed the lives of nine Pakistanis.