20 killed, seven injured in armed attack on miners in Balochistan’s Duki area

DUKI/ISLAMABAD, Oct 11 (SABAH): At least 20 miners were killed and seven injured in an attack by armed men on a private coal mine in Balochistan’s Duki area on Friday, police said.

“A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons,” said Duki Station House Officer (SHO) Humayun Khan.

They fired rockets and grenades at the mines as well, SHO Khan added.

Johar Khan Shadizai, a doctor in Duki, said: “We have received 20 bodies and six injured so far at the district hospital.”

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Duki District Council Chairman Khairullah Nasir also confirmed the incident, stating that the miscreants used “hand grenades, rocket launchers and other modern weapons” in the attack. He added that the attackers also set fire to “10 coal engines and machinery”.

Nasir confirmed that the district administration, police, and Frontier Corps (FC) teams had reached the incident site.

Duki Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kaleemullah Kakar and the assistant commissioner (AC) visited the incident site, where the FC commandant and Duki superintendent of police were present. A joint operation was conducted to find the remaining bodies.

Speaking to reporters, DC Kakar said the victims belonged to various regions of Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan.

Seven injured individuals have been transferred to Loralai Tehsil Headquarters for medical treatment, he said, adding that the deceased will be transported to their native towns once all necessary procedures are completed.

“The district administration is actively coordinating with the FC and police to manage and control the situation,” DC Kakar asserted. He said a first information report will be lodged and the incident will be investigated by the Counter-Terrorism Department.

Despite the coal mines falling under the primary responsibility of the FC and the area being under police jurisdiction, Levies took the lead in responding and recovering the first body, the Duki DC noted.

Earlier, upon receiving an alert, DC Kakar contacted the mine owner. The Duki DC and AC visited the district headquarters (DHQ) hospital to ensure all necessary arrangements were made for the deceased and injured.

Medical officers, including the medical superintendent and district health officer, along with the entire paramedical staff, were mobilised at the DHQ. Ambulances were arranged in coordination with the Loralai commissioner’s office.

Meanwhile Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on miners in Duki district of Balochistan. In a statement, he expressed grief and sorrow over the loss of precious lives in the incident.

Commiserating with the bereaved families, he prayed for the departed souls. The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to root out terrorism in all its forms.

Meanwhile, Acting President Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also strongly condemned attack in Duki area of Balochistan, which claimed lives of several miners.

In a statement, he expressed deep grief over the loss of lives in the attack and conveyed his sympathies to the families of the deceased workers.

The Acting President said perpetrators of this heinous incident should be awarded strict punishment

Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani also prayed for early recovery of the injured and directed the relevant authorities to ensure best medical treatment to the injured.

Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Ahmed Khan Bugti, in a statement, expressed his anger over the incident and ordered “immediate and effective action against the terrorists”. He directed that the area be cordoned off to restrict and trace the miscreants.

“The terrorists have crossed the limits of brutality and oppression by once again targeting poor labourers,” CM Bugti said, adding that the perpetrators’ “agenda was to destabilise Pakistan”.

“Ordinary poor labourers are targeted as they are considered a ‘soft target’. The terrorists are cowards,” he noted, vowing to hold them accountable for the “killing of each innocent person”.

“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,” the chief minister asserted.

Interior Minister Senator Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi also condemned the armed attack and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. Mohsin Naqvi said he shared the grief of the affected families and prayed for the injured’s speedy recovery.