On the night of October 10-11, unknown armed individuals targeted various coal mines in Dukki, resulting in 21 miners killed and several injured. The majority of the killed workers were from Loralai, Qilla Saifullah, Zhob, Harnai, and Kuchlak, while three workers were from Afghanistan.
In this attack, the armed individuals used rocket launchers, hand grenades, and other heavy weapons against workers in the coal mines area, resulting in 21 miners dying on the spot. Seven workers are still under treatment in various hospitals.
As usual, the FIR was registered against unknown persons, and to cover up the entire incident, the incompetent provincial government sent a committee of ministers who distributed PKR 1-1.5 million (USD 3,571-5,357) to the families of the deceased and injured miners and closed the matter.
It should be noted that Balochistan’s Pashtun areas are currently severely affected by terrorism, which has been increasing periodically over the past two years. Specifically regarding the coal mines area, there has been an increase in forced disappearances, kidnapping for ransom, and killings of miners in Mach, Harnai, Dukki, and Quetta’s suburban areas – miners aren’t even spared inside the coal mines.
Particularly regarding the Mach incident, where 11 Hazara workers were brutally murdered, all such incident reports blame unknown persons and distribute a few hundred thousand rupees among the families to close the matter. The same formula has been applied during the Dukki incident.
Note that hundreds of vehicles leave Balochistan’s coal mines daily. Considering just the Dukki incident, normally more than 200 trucks carrying 35-40 tons would depart, with PKR 230 (USD 0.82) per ton paid to Frontier Corps for security. This means PKR 8,050 (USD 28.75) for a 35-ton vehicle and PKR 9,200 (USD 32.86) for a 40-ton vehicle is collected by FC merely for security.
Security agencies collect PKR 1.6 million (USD 5,714) daily in security fees for 200 vehicles during normal times but provide no security. Instead, there have been several incidents of harassment by security agencies.
Workers believe that security agencies have completely failed to provide security to coal mine workers and related people. Therefore, coal mine workers will have to form defensive committees to ensure their security, which must include youth from areas adjacent to coal mines.
Additionally, coal mine workers should have the freedom to form independent unions so that daily deaths of miners due to other causes in coal mines can also be prevented.
