At least 20 miners were killed and seven others injured on Friday after armed men attacked a private coalmine in Balochistan’s Duki area, triggering protests.
“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” Duki Station House Officer (SHO) Humayun Khan told media, adding the attackers had fired rockets and hurled grenades at the mines as well.
Duki District Council Chairman Khairullah Nasir said the miscreants used “hand grenades, rocket launchers and other modern weapons” in the attack. He said the attackers had set fire to “10 coal engines and machinery,” adding the district administration, police and Frontier Corps teams had reached the site after the attack.
During his visit, Duki Deputy Commissioner Kaleemullah Kakar told reporters the victims belonged to various regions of Pakistan, and also included some Afghans. He said the seven injured were shifted to the Loralai Tehsil Headquarters for medical treatment, adding the deceased would be transported to their native towns after all necessary procedures were completed.
“The district administration is actively coordinating with the FC and police to manage and control the situation,” he said, assuring media a first information report would be registered and the incident investigated by the Counter-Terrorism Department. Police and FC personal have launched a search operation to locate any militants still in the area.
No group has thus far claimed responsibility for the attack.
After the attacks, locals staged a demonstration at Bacha Khan Chowk with the bodies of some of the slain miners, demanding justice. Joining their call, traders announced a shutter-down strike in the district, with all trader centers and markets in Duki closed for the day.
Condemnations
Strongly condemning the attack, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep grief over the loss of lives and conveyed his sympathies to the slain miners’ families. Reiterating the government’s resolve to eradicate terrorism, he prayed for the departed souls and the early recovery of the injured, directing relevant authorities to ensure best possible treatment. He has also sought a report into the incident from relevant officials.
With President Asif Ali Zardari on an official visit to Turkmenistan, acting President Yousaf Raza Gilani also issued a statement of regret over the killings, stressing that the attackers had sunk to unprecedented levels of brutality by targeting poor laborers and must receive strict punishment.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, in a statement, expressed his anger over the incident and ordered “immediate and effective action against the terrorists.” He also directed local officials to cordon off the area and trace the culprits.
“The terrorists have crossed the limits of brutality and oppression by once again targeting poor laborers,” he said, emphasizing the perpetrators’ wanted to destabilize Pakistan. “Ordinary poor laborers are targeted as they are considered a ‘soft target’. The terrorists are cowards,” he said, vowing to hold them accountable for the killings. “We will wipe out the terrorists and clear this homeland of their existence. The victory will be of the righteous in the war against terrorism,” he vowed.
In a separate statement, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the armed attack and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. He said he shared the grief of the affected families and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
Pakistan has been in the midst of a terror resurgence since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in August 2021. The government maintains it has repeatedly urged Kabul to prevent its soil from being using by terrorists but met no positive response. Earlier this year, the federal government approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a “whole-of-nation” counter-terrorism campaign aimed at eradicating militancy.