Hazara protesters refuse to bury slain coal miners, demand meeting with PM

Protester demanded that PM Imran should come to Quetta to meet with the bereaved families.

QUETTA (Dunya News) – Members of Hazara community on Monday night refused to bury the bodies of coal mine workers killed in Machh area of Balochistan on Saturday night in a targeted attack by unidentified persons and demanded that Prime Minister Imran Khan should come to Quetta personally to meet with the bereaved families of the victims, Dunya News reported.

Hundreds of members of Hazara community have staged a sit-in protest along the coffins of victims of Machh massacre at the Western Bypass to mourn the incident and voice their grievances.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, who reached Quetta on a special flight on direction of Prime Minister, held a meeting with members of the Hazara community and bereaved families and requested them to bury the dead bodies and assured them that the killers of the Hazara coal miners will be brought to justice.

Sheikh Rasheed told protesters that he will arrange a meeting of Hazara community members with Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad in the next three to four days during which they can discuss their issues with the premier directly.

Sheikh Rasheed also announced a compensation of Rs2.5 million for the family of each victim. He said that provincial government will give each family Rs1.5 million, while Rs1 million each will be provided by the centre.

Sheikh Rashid requested the organizers of the sit-in protest to announce the burial of the deceased which was rejected by the participants of the sit-in saying that the sit-in would not end and burial would not take place until the arrival of the Prime Minister.