Syed Ali Shah: Quetta, October 7:
In a deeply distressing incident that has sparked outrage across Balochistan, a grief-stricken family, already shattered by the loss of an aged father and his young son in the September 30 suicide bombing near the Frontier Corps Headquarters in Quetta, was allegedly forced to pay hospital staff Rs.16,000 to receive the bodies of their loved ones.
The victims — Noor Muhammad and his son Sabir — were among those killed when a powerful explosion ripped through the FC Headquarters area. The family spent the entire day desperately searching for their remains, finally locating them around midnight at Civil Hospital Quetta.
According to relatives, the hospital staff initially demanded Rs.35,000 for handing over the bodies, despite the family’s repeated pleas that they were from a poor background and had already lost everything. After hours of anguish, the grieving family managed to collect Rs.16,000 through donations from relatives and locals to retrieve the bodies of their father and son.
The heartbreaking story went viral on October 7, drawing public condemnation and questions about the collapse of ethics and accountability in public institutions. The hospital administration responded by holding an emergency press conference, claiming that a volunteer of a welfare foundation had taken the money — not the hospital staff — and that an investigation was underway.
However, the explanation has done little to calm public anger. Citizens and activists have demanded a transparent inquiry, calling it a disgrace that a family mourning its dead had to pay for basic human dignity.
The tragedy of Noor Muhammad and Sabir is not just about the loss of life in a terrorist attack — it reflects the systemic decay of compassion and governance. When institutions exploit the helpless instead of serving them, it becomes clear that the crisis in Balochistan is not only about security — it is about humanity itself.
