Protests erupted in Balochistan’s Duki district following a rocket attack on coal mines that killed at least 20 miners and injured seven others.
Humayun Khan, the police officer in charge of the local station, reported that armed individuals targeted the mines early Friday morning, employing rockets and grenades.
Duki, rich in minerals and adjacent to the borders of Afghanistan and Iran, has long been a centre of unrest. The attackers, who any group has not identified, struck in the early hours, causing significant casualties and damage.
In response, residents held a protest at Bacha Khan Chowk, displaying the bodies of the deceased miners. Additionally, traders in the district declared a complete shutdown to denounce the brutal attack, leading to a day-long closure of all markets and trade centres on Friday.
Security forces cordoned off the area around the mines immediately after the attack, initiating a search operation. The injured and deceased were quickly transported to Teaching Hospital Loralai for emergency medical treatment. The initial death toll was reported as two but later revised to twenty by Dr. Johar Sadozai, a medical officer.
According to Dr Sadozai, among the dead were miners from Pishin, Qila Saifullah, and Kuchlak and three who had travelled from Afghanistan for work. Haji Khairullah Nasir, the owner of the mines, stated that the attackers also set mining machinery ablaze.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti condemned the attack, labelling it an act of terrorism aimed at destabilizing Pakistan. He pledged strong action against the perpetrators and emphasized that labourers are often vulnerable targets in such cowardly terrorist acts.
The surge in militant activity follows the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, affecting not only the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa but also Balochistan.
