Twenty miners were killed and seven others wounded in a brutal attack by gunmen at a coal mine in Duki district, Balochistan, on Thursday night, The Associated Press reports, citing the local police.
The attack has sparked widespread condemnation and raised concerns about escalating violence in the restive province, just days before a major security summit in Islamabad.
The assailants stormed the miners’ accommodation, rounding them up and firing upon them. They also launched rockets and grenades at the mine, causing damage to machinery before fleeing the scene.
Most of the victims were from Pashtun-speaking areas of Balochistan, with three of the dead and four of the wounded being Afghan nationals. Angered by the violence, local shopkeepers shut down their businesses in protest, observing a daylong strike.
While no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, suspicion falls on the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group known for targeting civilians and security forces. The BLA has been blamed for numerous attacks in recent months, including the killings of 23 people in August, who were abducted from buses and vehicles in Musakhail district.
The province is home to several separatist groups who demand independence, accusing the federal government of unfairly exploiting Balochistan’s rich mineral and oil resources at the expense of locals.
The attack comes amidst heightened security measures in the capital, Islamabad, ahead of the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit next week. Authorities have deployed additional troops to bolster security.
The tragedy also casts a shadow over recent economic agreements signed between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, including a $2 billion investment package focused on various sectors, including mining in Balochistan. Saudi Arabia is also interested in investing in the Reko Diq district, known for its vast gold and copper reserves.
Balochistan’s Gwadar Port, a crucial part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, has also been a target for the BLA, which has urged Chinese workers to leave the province to avoid attacks.
