ISLAMABAD: Gunmen killed 20 miners and injured several others at a private coal mine in Pakistan’s southwestern Balochistan province on Friday, police said.
The attack occurred amid heightened security concerns in Pakistan as it prepares to host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit on Oct 15-16. The major event is expected to see high-level Chinese representation and will also be attended by Indian external affairs minister S Jaishankar.Incessant violent incidents in Pakistan’s northwest and southwest have raised serious questions about the ability of its forces to protect high-profile events and foreigners in the country.
The assailants, according to police, broke into the miners’ quarters in Balochistan’s Dukki district, gathered the workers together and opened indiscriminate fire. “A group of armed men attacked the Junaid coal company mines in Dukki area in the early hours using heavy weapons,” said Humayun Khan Nasir, in charge of Dukki police station. The victims belonged to various regions of Pakistan, as well as Afghanistan. “Most of the victims were from Pashtun-speaking regions within Balochistan. Three of the deceased and four of the injured are Afghan nationals,” Nasir added.
Khairullah Nasir, the coal mine owner, said the attackers used hand grenades, rocket launchers, and other modern weapons in the attack. He added the attackers also set fire to “10 coal engines and machinery”.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), which often targets civilians and security forces, accusing them of robbing Balochistan of its resources, including minerals and gas.
The BLA had carried out multiple attacks in Aug that resulted in more than 50 killings, including that of 23 passengers, mostly from Punjab province, who were shot dead after being taken out of their vehicles. On Monday the group had claimed responsibility for a suicide bomber attack on a convoy of Chinese engineers near Karachi airport. Two Chinese citizens were killed in that attack.
There are hundreds of Chinese working in the country, most of them involved in projects linked to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), part of Beijing’s multibillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Despite China’s repeated requests for Pakistan to bolster security, there has been a surge in attacks and unrest surrounding key CPEC projects.