News
Friday, July 13, 2012
Abductors kill seven coal miners in Balochistan
Staff Report
QUETTA: The Balochistan Levies on Thursday found the bodies of seven coal miners who were kidnapped last week, in the Degari area, some 28 kilometres from the provincial capital.
The miners were kidnapped on July 7 in the Sorange area, 25 kilometres from Quetta. The provincial chief inspector of mines, Iftikhar Ahmed, confirmed the incident, adding that some passersby had spotted the bodies and informed the Balochistan Levies. The bullet-riddled bodies were found dumped on a roadside in the hills of Degari coalmine fields.
Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) spokesman Jihand Baloch had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping of the miners. The victims worked at a private coal mining company, the United Minerals. They were identified as Hameedullah, Abdul Hameed, Mohammad Ishaq, Faqir Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Akbar and Khan Mohammad, residents of Swat and Dir in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, official sources confirmed.
Levies officials said the miners had been shot dead overnight. According to sources, a written message found from the bodies said that those coming to Balochistan from other areas to work at mines or other such places would meet the same fate.
The Pakhtukhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and National Labour Federation Balochistan (NLFB) staged a protest demonstration outside the Balochistan High Court, where a case about the law and order situation in the province is being heard. The protesters shouted slogans against the government and its functionaries and condemned the killings of mine workers.Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk