Top Baloch leader's killing sparks riots

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: A leading Baloch nationalist leader was found dead more than a week after he was abducted by armed men, triggering violent
protests in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province that claimed at least two lives.

The body of Balochistan National Movement leader Rasool Baksh Mengal, which was found hanging from a tree in Lasbela district of Balochistan on Monday, bore marks of torture, reports said.

Mengal, a well-known human rights activist, was abducted by unidentified men on August 23. Mengal's son had accused intelligence agencies of abducting him.

Two persons of Punjabi-origin were killed as violence broke out in various Baloch-dominated districts last evening after Mengal's body was found. Protesters set fire to banks and government offices in Maskhy area.

Meanwhile, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Tuesday accused intelligence agencies of being behind the murder and abduction of Mengal.