The Turbat killings refers to the murder of three Baloch nationalist political leaders in April 2009. The nationalist leaders were kidnapped by gunmen who were allegedly speaking in Persian (a national language of neighbouring Afghanistan and Iran).[1] The three murdered were:
According to an eyewitness, the trio were picked up by members of a security agency after they attended a court hearing in Turbat on April 3, 2009. Their mutilated and decomposed bodies were found five days later on April 8, 2009 in Pidrak, 35km away from their place of arrest.[2] Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a terrorist organisation, alleged that Pakistani security forces were behind the killing. However, the international experts have deemed it odd that the Pakistani forces would be careless enough to allow the bodies to be found so easily and light Balochistan on fire if they were truly responsible.[1]
The killings sparked protests, riots and strikes in towns and cities in Balochistan and other Baloch-dominated areas of Pakistan.[3]