QUETTA / ISLAMABAD: While the bodies of the eight Pakistani nationals killed in SistanBaluchestan province of Iran on April 12 could not be brought to Pakistan till late Wednesday night, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi assured Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar that those responsible for the killing would be brought to justice.

Officials were expecting repatriation of the bodies from Iran on Wednesday evening, but they were not brought at Taftan border till late night. `We had made all arrangements for receiving the bodies at the border and sending the same to native areas of terror victims,` a senior Taftan administration official told Dawn.

He said ambulances were also arranged for shifting the bodies to Bahawalpur district of southern Punjab. He said: `We are ready to receive the bodies at the border, though it is too late for bodies to reach at the Pak-Iran border.

There are reports thatthe bodies, after being handed over to the Pakistani authorities, might be airlifted to Bahawalpur directly from Zahidan.

The victims, all from Punjab, were killed on April 12 when gunmen stormed a car repair shop in Mehrestan, a city in Iran`s Sistan-Baluchestan province, near the Pakistan border. Local sources said the attackers tied the workers` hands and feet before shooting them.

On Wednesday, the Foreign Office (FO) in a statement said: `Foreign Minister Araghchi, while offering condolences on the tragic death of eight Pakistanis in Iran, assured full cooperation in bringing the perpetrators to justice and repatriating the mortal remains of the victims.

The FO had earlier called on the Iranian authorities to conduct a thorough investigation. `We hope for Iranian side`s full cooperation in investigating the matter and in timely repatriation of victims` remains,` it said.

Sistan-Baluchestan, like Pakistan`s adjacent Balochistan province, is restive, mineral-rich, and underdeveloped, and has seen a surge in attacks by separatist groups in recent years.

The two foreign ministers also discussed the recently held indirect talks between US and Iran in Oman. Mr Dar `appreciated and encouraged` the dialogue, the FO added.