Balochistan

Earlier on Tuesday, the wreckage of military helicopter that went missing on Monday night carrying senior military officers was found, and the Pakistan military media wing confirmed the death of at least six officers and crew members in the accident, which it claimed had occured due to bad weather. "Freedom fighters of BRAS targeted a low-flying helicopter of Pakistan military. The targeted helicopter crashed near Moosa Goth in Dareji," spokesperson of BRAS Baloch Khan claimed in a statement.

The helicopter with six people on board was carrying out a flood relief operation in the area, Xinhua news agency reported, citing a statement by the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. Passengers aboard the helicopter included army's commander of XII-Corps stationed in Quetta, capital city of Balochistan, who was supervising the relief operations in the province, it added.

The Friday Times quoted the provincial government as saying: "Government of Balochistan intends to conduct a 'judicial inquiry' by a honourable judge of High Court of Balochistan into the killing of persons in Ziarat operation under 'The Balochistan Tribunal of Inquiry Ordinance 1969'... It is, therefore, requested that nomination of a judge... may kindly be conveyed to this department for the subject purpose".

The families of the victims staged a three-day sit-in protest in front of the Governor's house in Quetta and warned that if the culprits of the Ziarat incident are not brought to justice, the protests will be expanded throughout the province indefinitely, Balochistan Post reported. Hundreds marched in Turbat carrying placards and banners, demanding justice for the victims of the alleged fake encounter. The BNP-Mengal also carried out a protest in Dalbandin, Dera Allah Yaar, Chaghi, Noshki, Turbat and Jafarabad against the Ziarat incident.

The gold medalist doctor-turned-resistance leader's statement comes as Balochistan is engulfed in anger over murder of at least nine forcibly disappeared persons in, what victim families are calling, a fake encounter by Pakistani security forces, Balochistan Post reported. In a statement, Allah Nizar said that after Baloch nation's burial of bodies of extra-judicially killed missing persons, the world must realise that Baloch's struggle for independence is just, Balochistan Post reported.

Death squads and locally armed militia in Balochistan supported by the Pakistan Army have been accused of carrying out human rights violations like enforced disappearances and kill-and-dumps at the behest of the Pakistani security forces, Balochistan Post reported. In exchange for their services, the Pakistani forces have given a free hand to these "death squads" throughout Balochistan.

The court on Thursday ordered the Home Secretary to put in place a mechanism to redress complaints from Baloch students, Samaa TV reported. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said that ethnic profiling cannot be accepted and courts would not turn a blind eye to human rights violations, Samaa TV reported. He criticised the present government -- which recently took charge -- and reminded the ministers that they must walk the talk on the issues they used to highlight while in opposition.

Four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed and four others sustained injuries in a suicide attack carried out by a burqa-clad woman outside the Confucius Institute in KU's premises on Tuesday, Geo News reported. Laptops and other evidence, including documents, were taken into custody during the raid. Sources privy to the matter said movement of a car bearing a government number plate to and from the raided house was observed, Geo News reported.

In light of the intelligence reports, security was provided to the foreign nationals, he said. The statement from the Karachi Police chief came after a female suicide bomber blew herself up near a van at Confucius Institute -- a Chinese language teaching centre at Karachi University. Four people, including three Chinese nationals, were killed while four others sustained injuries.

Three Chinese nationals and a Pakistani citizen were killed after what appeared to be a targeted suicide bombing outside the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute on Tuesday afternoon. Many believe that such female suicide bombers, who have been previously used for carrying out 'fidayeen' attacks by other terrorist organisations, come from a oppressed background with lesser exposure, making them vulnerable to the motivational sermons of terror groups.