The government negotiating team reached Quetta last night but failed too convince the protesters.
Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi and Adviser to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari visited protesters and requested to bury the bodies of the miners who were killed in a terrorist attack.
On Sunday, unidentified armed men brutally killed 11 miners a residential compound in Mach city of Balochistan. The attackers filmed the entire incident and later posted it online. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State (IS).
Since then the victim families and Hazara community have staged a sit-in protest along with the dead bodies on western bypass in Quetta. They have refused to bury the bodies until swift action is taken against the attackers by the authorities. Protests continue the fourth straight day today in Balochistan, while it’s the second day that members of the Hazara community have also been protesting in Karachi.
The Federal Minister Ali Zaidi requested the protesters that the Prime Minister would definitely visit them but “please do not associate the burial with the PM’s visit,” while the protesters did not agree.
The sit-in leadership took the position that the families of the martyrs don’t agree to bury the dead and calling the Prime Minister to visit them.
Ali Zaidi accused that foreign hands are involved in destabilising Pakistan and unfortunately, our people also play into their hands. Zaidi said that he will “present proof of foreign interference.”
After the failure of the talks, the team of ministers withdrew. Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed had also tried to end the sit-in but was unsuccessful.
Whereas, the Pakistani PM Imran Khan said in a tweet that “I share your pain & have come to you before also to stand with you in your time of suffering. I will come again very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally. I will never betray my people’s trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace.
Imran Khan also accused the neigbouring India saying “we are taking steps to prevent such attacks in the future & know our neighbour is instigating this sectarian terrorism.”
While on the other hand, people of Balochistan and nationalist leaders accuse Pakistani intelligence agencies for killing the Hazara people to divert the attention from the independence movement of Balochistan.
Some also accuse that killing Hazara Shia community directs that Pakistan is playing as a Saudi proxy against Iran.