Families of the Iran victims staging protests blocked the Alipur road and demanded the government to bring back the dead bodies of their loved ones who were gunned down mercilessly in Savaran city of the southeastern border province Sistan of Iran.

Ironically, five of the nine victims belonged from South Punjab’s Alipur including two brothers—one of them Sohaib has been killed and the other Sohail sustained injuries in the horrific incident.

“I have appealed to the government to bring it to Pakistan soon. My sons went to Iran for labor, one is killed and the other is injured,” the mother of the sons said.

“The husband is disabled, there is no one to earn, the only support is our son,” the mother said.

Tale of Lodhran victims

Journalist Ijaz Khan Sahu from Lodhran told Samaa Digital said that two of the victims —Mohammad Zubair and Abu Bakr—belonged from Lodhran. Both were killed in the Iran incident. He said that the two had gone to Iran for labour work almost two years ago and were involved in denting and painting vehicles there.

According to him, both were thinking of returning to Pakistan due to lack of work, while Abu Bakr's marriage was being prepared in Pakistan. He said that Abu Bakr's mother kept on asking to return again and again but Abu Bakr kept on lingering citing inflation and cost of living.

Ijaz said due to the increase in inflation in Pakistan, hardworking and skilled people such as car mechanics, boring workers, and dent painters moved in Iran to work, while some agencies were also established in the area for recruitment.