In yet another devastating attack, 20 miners were killed in Pakistan’s southwestern province of Balochistan. A group of armed men stormed a private coal mine and opened fire on the workers.
In the early hours of Friday morning, the attackers entered a workers’ accommodation at the Junaid Coal Company mines in the province’s Duki district, rounded the men up and began their execution.
The Attack
Humayun Khan, a police officer in Duki, reported that the attackers launched rockets and grenades at the Junaid Coal Company mines. The attack caused significant damage and fatalities among the workers.
The workers were attacked with heavy sophisticated weaponry, police said, while one survivor described even seeing a drone overhead. A hospital in Duki has received 20 bodies and is treating six injured people, as reported by Reuters.
Most of the victims were from Pashtun-speaking regions within Balochistan, according to Nasir. Three of the deceased and four of the injured were Afghan nationals. As of yet no group has taken responsibility for the shocking attack.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow over the attack while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi claimed that those responsible for the attack would face legal repercussions.
Unrest in Balochistan
Such attacks have become rather common in the volatile Balochistan region. The province has been on the boil for quite some time and the intrusive entry of the Chinese in the area has further enraged the locals.
China has a big stake in the project developments in the entire area. The CPEC China Pakistan trade corridor has many assets in the region and thousands of Chinese professionals are assigned to manage the completion of these projects. It is part of the ambitious multi billion dollar belt and road initiative of the Chinese.
A local group known as the Balochistan Liberation Army has been resisting these external invasions of their land. The BLA seeks independence for the entire Balochistan region. Backed by tremendous popular support from the native populace the armed BLA has been strategically targeting both the Pakistani and Chinese assets.
On Monday, the BLA claimed responsibility for an attack targeting Chinese nationals near Pakistan’s largest airport. The Chinese embassy in Pakistan said at least two of its citizens were killed and a third injured after their convoy was targeted with an improvised explosive device believed to have been detonated by a suicide bomber. Local media reports suggest at least 10 people were injured in total, with four cars destroyed in the explosion and 10 more vehicles damaged in the resulting fire.
Attacks in Pakistan ahead of the SCO meet
The Shanghai Cooperation organization (SCO) meet is just around the corner, and it holds special significance for Pakistan as this would be the first time an Indian foreign minister will be visiting their country since 2015.
Such constant attacks on important infrastructure targeting foreign nationals is cause for deep concern about the security situation in the country. Islamabad will be hosting the important SCO summit next week.
In August alone armed groups have killed over 50 people in multiple attacks, including one where 23 people were fatally shot in Balochistan. The Karachi airport blast was another shocking incident, and now this attack on miners puts a question mark on the safety apparatus in the country.
Keeping the SCO in mind the Pakistani authorities have increased security in the capital by deploying troops. The Interior Ministry this week alerted provinces to take additional measures over concerns that separatists and the Pakistani Taliban could attack public places and government installations.