Islamabad demands Iran find killers of eight Pakistani workers

Pakistan called on Iranian authorities to identify and detain those responsible for the killing of eight Pakistani nationals in southeastern Iran.

Armed assailants stormed an auto repair shop in Mehrestan County in Iran’s Sistan and Baluchestan province on Friday and killed the workers at close range.

"Pakistan strongly condemned the inhumane and cowardly killing of its nationals in Iran," Pakistan’s Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday.

"The leadership and people of Pakistan are deeply saddened and disturbed by this tragic incident. The Prime Minister has expressed heartfelt condolences for the bereaved families."

"We hope for Iranian side's full cooperation in investigating the matter and in timely repatriation of victims' remains," the statement added.

According to Halvash, an advocacy group for the Baluch people, the incident took place early Friday in the village of Hizabad-e Paein.

The victims—car mechanics and bodywork specialists from Pakistan’s Punjab province—were living and working at the repair shop when gunmen entered the premises, tied their hands and feet, and shot them.

Iranian security forces were deployed to the site following the killings, and the area was placed under heightened surveillance, according to Halvash.

Iran has officially denounced the killings as an "act of terrorism." In a statement on Sunday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei said that the country’s security and judicial authorities are determined to identify and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Asr-e Iran website reported that a group calling itself the Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack.

The armed group operates on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border and has been involved in previous attacks on state and civilian targets.

The Iranian embassy in Islamabad also issued a statement condemning the act as “inhumane and cowardly.”

In January 2024, Iran and Pakistan exchanged rare cross-border strikes targeting militant groups. Iran launched missiles at what it said were Jaish al-Adl positions inside Pakistan, prompting a retaliatory Pakistani strike on Baloch separatist camps in Iranian territory.

Jaish al-Adl is an armed opposition groups to the Islamic republic.

The strikes marked the most serious escalation in years along the shared frontier.