Quetta, Pakistan

The Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached Quetta on Saturday, a few hours after 11 coal miners from the Hazara community — who were brutally killed — were buried.

Advertisment

Khan is expected to meet the family members of the victims today. This visit has come a day after he had accused the families of the victims of "blackmailing" him into getting a visit from the PM.

Also read| Pakistani Shia Hazara community ends blockade over deaths of miners

On Sunday, a group of armed and unidentified gunmen had broken into a coal mine in Mach, a town near Quetta. The gunmen had specifically dragged out ethnic Hazaras — who are members of the Shia community — and had shot them dead.

Advertisment

After the attack, locals had taken to the streets to protest against the inability of the Pakistan Government to protect their own citizens from terrorist organisations.

Also read| Maryam Nawaz slams Pak PM Imran Khan after he calls protesting Hazaras 'blackmailers'

The family members of the victims had then refused to bury the dead bodies and had placed the coffins on a highway in Quetta, demanding a visit from the PM before the burial. Khan, however, had accused them of "blackmailing" him and had demanded that the families bury the dead bodies if they want a visit from him.

Advertisment

Khan's opposition had questioned his motives and had blamed him for the rising violence in the country. "The man (Imran Khan) who has become prime minister with the blessings of a few generals can never feel the pain of the masses. The oppressed people of the Hazara community are waiting for the man who is calling them `blackmailers`," former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said.