On Friday, citizens and traders staged protests against the deadly rocket attack on coal mines in Duki, Balochistan, where at least 20 miners lost their lives and seven others were injured. The brutal attack, which occurred in the mineral-rich and violence-prone region, has sent shockwaves across the district.
According to Humayun Khan, the local police station house officer, the attack took place in the early hours of Friday when a group of armed men launched a violent assault on the coal mines, using rockets and grenades. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.
Following the incident, demonstrators gathered at Bacha Khan Chowk with the bodies of the deceased miners to express their outrage. Local traders called for a shutter-down strike, resulting in the closure of all trade centers and markets in the district.
The police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel cordoned off the area and launched a search operation to find the perpetrators. The bodies and injured were rushed to Teaching Hospital Loralai for medical assistance, with the death toll increasing to 20 over the course of the day.
Medical Officer Dr. Johar Sadozai confirmed that some of the miners were from Pishin, Qila Saifullah, Kuchlak, and Afghanistan. The mine’s owner, Haji Khairullah Nasir, reported that the attackers not only targeted the workers but also set fire to machinery at the site.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack and called for a report from authorities, reaffirming his government’s commitment to eliminating terrorism. Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfaraz Bugti also condemned the incident, vowing to bring the culprits to justice. He labeled the attack as part of an agenda to destabilize Pakistan, emphasizing that laborers were targeted as “soft targets.”
This tragic incident is part of a wider surge in militant attacks across Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In response to rising terrorism, the federal government approved Operation Azm-e-Istehkam, a renewed counter-terrorism campaign, earlier this year under the National Action Plan.
