Coal miners in Balochistan are suffering from the dangers of insurgency, terrorism, sectarianism, dangerous working environment, along with decades of state-sponsored negligence, discrimination, violence and brutality.
Despite being a mineral-rich province of Pakistan, Balochistan is ignored by the government and the coal miners suffered the most. Miners witnessed workplace accidents as they work in the high-risk zone and seek attention, International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) reported.
The International Forum for Rights and Security (IFFRAS) is a non-profit, independent, and international think tank headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
The coal miners are subjected to the double-edged sword of cruelty and hazardous working condition causing severe fatalities.
Recently, on November 12, six coal miners were kidnapped from the Mach coalfield in Kachhi district (former name: Bolan District) of Balochistan around 80 km away from the provincial capital city of Quetta.
According to IFFRAS citing sources, a large number of armed men entered the Mach coal field area and kidnapped six people working at different coal mines. The miners, working at mine no. 172.
The coal miners belong to Swat Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa. This is not the first incident. Earlier, on June 13, four coal miners were abducted at gunpoint from the Habibullah Coal Company including two engineers, in Hanna Urak, Quetta.