'Govt neglecting coalminers’ security'

LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed concern over the government's continued neglect of coalminers’ right to life and security in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The murder of three coalminers in Marwar, Balochistan, on August 24 is at least the second such incident in 2021, after 11 coalminers were kidnapped by armed militants and shot dead in Mach in January this year. In addition, the discovery in April of the remains of 16 coalminers in Shangla, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who were abducted and murdered almost a decade ago, is a grim reminder that the miners’ lives have long been considered expendable.

Not only must they contend with hazardous working conditions but they are also at great risk as a result of poor law and order in remote mining areas, where militant groups commonly extort protection money from colliery owners, an HRCP statement said.

It is deeply ironic that the security agencies reportedly impose an unofficial security charge on production termed extortion by coalmine owners and remain unable to provide the very security that is their job as public servants.

The HRCP demanded that the inquiry into the Marwar killings be conducted swiftly and the perpetrators brought to justice. Given the circumstances, the state must provide coalminers in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with secure sites to work and compensate the families of those who have lost their lives as a result of sectarian or militant violence.