Eleven coal miners, who were killed by unidentified men at the Machh coalfield on Sunday, will be buried in Quetta today.
Yesterday, the families of the victims, including women and children, stage a sit-in protest in Quetta demanding the Balochistan government to either arrest the killers or resign.
On Sunday, 11 coal miners were killed, while four others were seriously injured after unidentified men opened fire on them at the Machh coal. The police said that the armed men took the coal miners to nearby mountains and opened fire. Eleven were confirmed dead by police while others injured were reported to be in critical condition.
The so-called Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaaq news agency.
However, the Balochistan government has denied that the incident was a cause of a security lapse. Speaking to Geo News, Liaquat Shahwani, Balochistan government spokesperson, said the incident was an act of terrorism.
“Investigative institutions are probing the incident from every angle to determine who is responsible for this,” he said.
He further said that the terrorist activities in Balochistan are rising but “the Levies personnel are present in the area to provide security”. “[Law and order in the area] was satisfactory; hence, this incident wasn’t expected,” he added.
The attack was strongly condemned by Baloch leaders including Akhter Mengal, Bashir Zeb Baloch and political parties, Baloch Students Organisation – Azad and Baloch National Movement.
Following the brutal killings, protests are being held in several parts of the country. In Karachi, a protest rally was held, while a demonstration was held at the exhibition square and candles were lit in Multan.