Staff Reporter:
QUETTA: The Balochistan Commission of Inquiry investigating the deadly terrorist attack on the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat has invited members of the public to submit evidence, statements and information that could help establish what happened before, during and after the attack.
In a public notice dated August 17, 2026, the commission said it was seeking information from individuals who may have witnessed the incident, possess relevant documents or have knowledge about circumstances surrounding the attack.
The inquiry is being conducted under Section 3(1) of the Balochistan Tribunals of Inquiry Ordinance, 1969.
One of the commission’s central tasks is to determine how terrorists were able to attack the police post guarding Pumping Station No. 3 of Mangi Dam, how the security response unfolded and whether there were shortcomings in the deployment, preparedness, command and coordination of law-enforcement agencies.
The commission will also examine whether police personnel had adequate training, weapons and equipment, including preparedness for counter-insurgency operations, and whether the response to the attack was timely and effective.
The inquiry will specifically investigate the abduction and subsequent killing of police personnel, as well as the circumstances that prevented their recovery.
The commission has also been directed to identify those responsible for the attack and examine whether any individuals or organisations facilitated the assault. It will look into possible negligence, dereliction of duty, operational lapses, failures of command and control, and lack of coordination among relevant agencies.
Officials will also collect records, statements and other evidence, including relevant communications and call-data records, as part of the investigation.
The commission has invited police, the Counter-Terrorism Department and other security and law-enforcement agencies to provide records and cooperate with the inquiry.
Public invited to come forward
In what could provide an important avenue for witnesses and other informed individuals to contribute to the investigation, the commission has asked members of the public to submit any material or information related to the attack.
The notice says people who have relevant evidence or information may approach the commission and provide their statements or supporting material. The deadline for submissions is August 28, 2026.
The Mangi Dam attack was one of the deadliest security incidents in Balochistan in July. According to contemporary reports, terrorists attacked the police post guarding the dam’s pumping station in Ziarat, killing nine policemen and abducting 18 others, who were later killed. The total number of police personnel killed in the attack and its aftermath was reported at 27.
The provincial government had earlier initiated an inquiry into the incident, with the investigation tasked with establishing the sequence of events and assessing the preparedness, deployment, response and coordination of the relevant security agencies.
The latest public notice signals a broader effort to bring eyewitness accounts and other evidence into the inquiry, potentially helping investigators answer one of the most pressing questions surrounding the tragedy: how such a heavily consequential attack was able to unfold and what could have been done to prevent it.
