Three kidnapped from Dukki coal mines

Authorities say all three hail from Shangla who had been shifted to an unknown location

QUETTA:

Three coal miners were kidnapped by armed gunmen from Dukki district of Balochistan on Saturday. According to the Levies Force, the incident occurred in the mines area of Dukki where assailants opened fire on a local coal mine and forcibly took away the three miners in broad daylight without inviting any attention from the quarters concerned.

Authorities told The Express Tribune that all three coal miners belonged to the Shangla district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and that they were shifted to an undisclosed location by the armed men.

The identities of the kidnappers remain unknown as their faces had been covered during the attack on the mine but authorities believe this could be yet another case of extortion and that the colliers had been kidnapped to put pressure on the mine owner.

Upon receiving the distress call, Levies personnel, along with other law enforcement agencies, rushed to the scene and started their investigation into the matter.

Preliminary findings indicate that the kidnapped miners were employed at a mine belonging to Sardar Akbar Nasar. The motive behind the kidnappings and the whereabouts of the miners are yet to be determined, plunging their families and the community into anguish and uncertainty.

As the investigation unfolds, authorities are intensifying efforts to ensure the safe return of the abducted miners and to bring the perpetrators to justice. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the persistent security challenges facing the region and the vulnerability of those working in the mining sector. In the past, the militants have repeatedly kidnapped and attacked coal miners in Mach, Quetta, Bolan, Harnai and other parts of Balochistan.

This is not the first time that a mine or miners have been targeted.

In January 2021, 11 coal miners were killed after unidentified men kidnapped and later slaughtered them at the Mach coalfield of Bolan district, around 80km from Quetta in Balochistan. Four other miners were seriously injured.

According to officials, the miners shared a residential room near the coal mine where they worked.

“The dead bodies of the 11 miners have been taken to a local hospital,” Khalid Durrani, a government official in the area, said.

The attack, before dawn, took place in the far-flung and mountainous Mach area while the miners slept, Durrani said.

Islamic State, also known as Da’ish, later claimed responsibility for the attack, through its Amaq news agency via its Telegram communications channel.

A security official said the attackers had separated the miners, tied their hands and feet, taken them out into the hills and later killed them.

All the victims belonged to the Hazara community of Quetta. The mine was situated deep in the mountains.

A top government official in the area was quoted as saying that “they tied their hands and feet and brutally slaughtered them with some sharp instrument”. Some of the victims were beheaded, he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 24^th, 2024.