The supply of coal from Chamalang mines has resumed following action by the Frontier Corps (FC) to repel Marri tribesmen who were carrying out armed attacks on trucks transporting the coal from the site.
At least 11 tribesmen were killed and four security personnel lost their lives during the operation which lasted three days.
According to official estimates, the Chamalang coal mines located 70 kilometres south-east of Loralai have proven deposits of approximately 500 million tons worth Rs200 billion. In 2006, Mir Muhabbat Khan Marri, a well known tribal enemy of Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri had signed an accord with the Luni tribes and government of Baluchistan. The agreement led to extraction of 1.5 million tons of coal worth Rs6 billion between 2007 and 2010.
The tribesmen backed by their chief Nawab Khair Bakhsh Marri have resisted coal mining in their area since 2007. More than 800 army personnel, 250 from FC, 450 from Balochistan Constabulary, 50 from Kohlu police and 2000 personnel of Chamalang Levies are permanently deployed for security duty at the site.
Officials in Quetta have also blamed India for providing arms and ammunition to the Marri tribesmen to sabotage the pace of development in Balochistan, where insurgency is also on the rise.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 24th, 2011.
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