Mine safety

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The recent tragedy in Quetta, where four miners lost their lives and others remain trapped due to an explosion, highlights the unsafe mining practices that plague Pakistan's mining industry. It is a stark reminder of the grave risks faced by those who toil in the depths of the earth, risking life and limb to provide resources that fuel the economy. Mining accidents are regrettably frequent, particularly in resource-rich Balochistan, as the country's already-lax safety regulations are openly flouted, miners lack the clout to force owners to improve working conditions, and the government's concern is limited to huffing and puffing for a few days after a disaster.

Balochistan government officials counted 82 deaths in 46 accidents last year, which is an extraordinarily high figure. That death toll - which is only for Balochistan - is about three times as high as in the US, which has a significantly larger and more lucrative mining industry and employs around 600,000 people, compared to Pakistan's mining industry, which employs around 300,000 people. Apart from so many other factors, use of technology in the mining industry in the developed world is one major difference.

While the government needs to improve its inspection regime, owners also need to face much severer penalties for mining disasters caused by unsafe conditions, and the lack of training provided to miners, many of whom are migrant workers from Punjab and already face threats in the region due to xenophobic militancy seeded by separatists terrorists.

And while it is important for the government and mine owners to ensure the safety of migrant workers, efforts must also be made to encourage local hiring, as this is the only way the mining industry can help the province develop - tax revenue and mine profits are diverted to other parts of the province, so local consumption is the only way to generate growth and development in the area. Fair pay and safe conditions at mines, coupled with development in the areas around them, would also improve happiness in local communities, making them less sympathetic to separatist propaganda.