At least 20 miners were killed and seven others injured after armed terrorists attacked a private coalmine in Balochistan’s Duki region in the wee hours of Friday, an incident that made Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterate the government’s resolve to eliminate all violent elements from the country.
“This is a heinous act of brutality,” the prime minister said, as he expressed deep sorrow over the killings and pledged swift action. In a statement issued by the state-run news wire, the Associated Press of Pakistan, the prime minister said the government was determined to eliminate terrorism and ensure that justice is served. He said that his thoughts were with the families of the slain miners. “We will not rest until we root out these violent elements from our soil.”
According to local police, the attackers used sophisticated weapons, including rockets and grenades, to cause maximum damage. The early-hour assault caught the miners off guard, as they worked in the remote coalmine. Duki Station House Officer Humayun Khan confirmed that Junaid Coal Company’s mines were targeted, saying, “The attackers stormed the area and launched a barrage of heavy artillery at the miners.”
The miners, hailing from various regions across Pakistan and Afghanistan, had nowhere to run. The attackers not only used explosives and firearms, but they also torched mining equipment and machinery. Dr Johar Khan Shadizai, a physician at the Duki district hospital, stated, “We have received 20 bodies so far, along with six critically injured individuals.”
The attackers reportedly used rocket launchers, hand grenades, and modern weapons. They also set fire to ten coal engines and other important machinery.
In response to the attack, the local police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were dispatched to the scene, and a joint search and rescue operation was launched. The injured miners were transferred to nearby medical facilities, including the Loralai Tehsil Headquarters, where they are receiving treatment.
The killings come just days before the high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Islamabad, which will be attended among others by Chinese and Indian officials, which shows that the attack was designed to embarrass the government and disrupt Pakistan’s international standing.
Meanwhile, Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani, who is overseeing the affairs while President Asif Ali Zardari is on an official visit to Turkmenistan, also expressed his outrage. “This kind of violence must be met with firm and swift punishment,” he said. He described the attackers as cowardly, and called for justice for the victims’ families.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and vowed that the perpetrators would not escape the law. He said the government would not tolerate terrorism in any form, especially in which innocent workers are targeted.
Separately, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti called for immediate action against the terrorists. “We are committed to bringing these criminals to justice. Their aim is to destabilize our country, but we will not allow them to succeed.” Bugti also ordered security officials to cordon off the area and track down the attackers at the earliest. “We will hunt them down,” he said. According to a security report, Pakistan witnessed more than 1,500 deaths and over 1,400 injuries in 2023, resulting from terror-related incidents and counter-terror operations, while terror incidents have not stopped this year also.