At least 11 coal miners lost their lives, and six others sustained serious injuries in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) that was detonated using a remote control device targeting a truck in Balochistan’s Harnai district on Friday. Initially, nine miners had died but two more injured succumbed to their injuries later in the hospital where they were being treated.
According to officials, an IED explosion hit a pickup truck carrying coal mine workers in the Shahrag area of Harnai which is a disturbed area where the writ of Pakistani security forces in tenuous and weak. Most of the victims were from the Swat and Shangla districts of neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
So far, no rebel group has claimed responsibility for carrying out the attack targeting the non-local miners. The Baloch rebels who are fighting for an independent Balochistan have often carried out such attacks saying they were against the exploitation of Balochistan’s resources by Pakistani (and Chinese) companies. In October last year, a similar attack on a private coal mine had been carried out leading to killing of at least 20 miners in Duki district of Balochistan, according to a report in Dawn. The armed assailants had set a large number of heavy machinery at the site on fire by firing rockets intended to cause maximum damage.
Harnai Deputy Commissioner Hazrat Wali Kakar stated that the blast occurred when an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in the PMDC 94 Coal Mines Area in Harnai’s Shahrag district. “The bodies of the deceased and the injured have been shifted to the Shahrag Basic Health Unit,” Kakar said.
Following the incident, a large number of Pakistani military forces reached the site and cordoned off the area. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
It may be noted that multiple bomb blasts have been reported lately in the Shahrag area, which is home to coal mines. However, the loss incurred in the latest is reportedly quite bigger than most of the previous explosions.
The mines department officials said that most of the miners affected in the incident belonged to Swat and Shangla areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the blast in Shahrag, expressing deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives.
In separate statements, the President and the PM offered heartfelt condolences to the families of those died in the terrorist incident. They also vowed to continue efforts till the elimination of terrorism from the country.
PM Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to provide the best medical support to the injured. He also prayed for their early recovery. The prime minister said the individuals who harm the lives and property of innocent and defenceless citizens will have to pay a very heavy price.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti condemned the incident and expressed sorrow over the loss of lives, an official statement from the CM House said. “Terrorists who target innocent citizens do not deserve any forgiveness,” the CM said. “Strict action will continue against the elements damaging the peace of Balochistan.’’
The intentions of the enemies of peace will not be allowed to succeed under any circumstances, Bugti said, adding that the Balochistan government was taking all possible steps to protect the lives and property of the people.
