MOSCOW. May 25 (Interfax) - The Pakistani authorities are delaying the provision to Moscow of information on the citizenship of the five people killed in the area of the Pakistani city of Kvetta on Tuesday, the Russian embassy in Islamabad told Interfax.
Some media have reported that the killed people were citizens of Russia.
"Unfortunately, the Pakistani authorities have not provided official documents on their citizenship to us yet," the embassy's press attache Yevgeny Yeliseyev told Interfax on Wednesday.
Yeliseyev believes this is largely due to bureaucratic formalities. "Formally, they have a wish to cooperate, but practically it is very difficult due to the local bureaucracy," he said.
In the meantime, Yaroslav Pavlov, an official with the consular section of the Russian embassy, told Interfax the Pakistani authorities are much more willing to share information on this issue with the local media than with Russian diplomats.
"The local authorities are much more willing to share information with the press than with us. Passports said to be owned by the victims have been shown on local television," he said.
At the same time, Pavlov said the Russian diplomats have not been given the documents or their copies and no identification has been performed and therefore it cannot be said that the passports were those of the victims.
"We file official requests with the state authorities every day, but there has not been any response yet," the diplomat said.
Pavlov also said that he has information that the victims were not suicide bombers who tried to attack a police post as was earlier reported. In the meantime, the local authorities have still not confirmed that the victims were civilians.
According to information possessed by the Russian embassy, the police officers who shot and killed those people exceeded their powers.
"The police exceeded their powers. This has 100% taken place and it is proved by the evidence given by witnesses. However, not a single high-ranking official at the province or federal level has yet confirmed that," he said.
Nevertheless, several police officers related to this incident have already been detained, Pavlov said. The head of the Kvetta police has also been relieved of his duties, he said.
"A commission has been created in Kvetta, which comprises representatives of the province and federal authorities, to investigate this case. A special tribunal has also been created to try the police officers and border guards who exceeded their powers and opened fire on these foreign citizens," he said.
'The case has drawn so much response that the culprits will most likely be punished," Pavlov said.