Islamabad, Feb 09: Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali today ordered a probe into the killing of seven Pakistanis by Iranian guards while reportedly crossing the border illegally, an official statement said.

He is also rushing a high level delegation to Iran to discuss the matter and to prevent any further such incidents, it said.
Local media quoted a private Pakistani news agency report that 44 Pakistanis on their way to Dubai came under fire from the Iranian border force when they tried to sneak into Iranian territory from the southwestern Pakistani border town of Mand.

Seven people died in the Iranian firing and 37 had been arrested, the report said without giving the date of the incident.

The statement said Jamali ordered concerned officials to submit a report about the incident within two days.

He has also directed relevant authorities to send "a high-level delegation of ministry of foreign affairs and ministry of interior to iran so that such incidents could be stopped and innocent Pakistanis could be saved from this type of mishap," it said.

Newspapers said illegal crossing into Iranian territory for economic reasons had increased recently. The trips are usually arranged by fake agents who cheat people by promising jobs abroad on payment of large amounts.
Bureau Report