AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): At least 11 Shia coal miners were severely killed in the Mach area of Balochistan on Sunday after armed militants kidnapped them and took them to a nearby area before opening fire at close range.
Police authorities said the miners were on the way to work when armed militants kidnapped them and took them to the nearby mountains. Moazzam Ali Jatoi, an official with the Levies Force, said six of the miners were dead on the spot, and five who were critically wounded died on the way to a hospital.
Jatoi said an initial investigation revealed the attackers identified the miners as being from the Shia Hazara community and the gunmen took them away for execution, leaving others unharmed.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.
According to Quetta Deputy Commissioner Murad Kaas, no case has been registered so far.
A heavy contingent of police, Frontier Corps, and district administration officials reached the site after the incident.
Prime Minister Imran Khan condemned the miners' killing, terming it "yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism".
"Have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice. The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the govt," he said in a tweet.
Minister for Interior Sheikh Rashid Ahmed while condemning the killings asked the Balochistan inspector general of police to submit a report on the incident.
"Terrorists will not succeed in their nefarious objectives. Elements involved in the incident are not deserving of any laxity," he said.
Information Minister Shibli Faraz said the shootings in Mach were "condemnable and saddening". Foreign enemies are making constant efforts to destablise Pakistan, he added.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said: "Terrorists in Balochistan getting [are] more desperate as development comes to province".
"Socio[economic] empowerment & Insaf for the Baloch are how we will defeat the terrorists," she tweeted.
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan Alyani too "strongly condemned the tragic incident".
PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari termed the incident as "the worst form of terrorism".
In a statement, Bilawal called on the government to take action and provide protection to miners working in the coalfields.
The PPP chairperson also asked the federal and provincial governments to provide "compensation to the families of the miners and ensure that such incidents do not occur again".
Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said that security forces had surrounded the area and started the investigation. "[We] will bring the terrorists to justice," he vowed.
/129