Pakistani PM asks Shiites to bury coal miners killed by IS
Pakistan’s prime minister has appealed on the country's protesting minority Shiites not to link the burial of 11 coal miners from their Hazara community who were killed by the Islamic State group last week to his visit to the mourners
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Pakistan's prime minister on Friday appealed on protesting minority Shiites not to link the burial of 11 coal miners from their Hazara community, killed by the Islamic State group last week, to demands that he visit the mourners.
Saying that the miners would not be buried until he visits the protesters amounts to blackmail, said Prime Minister Imran Khan
Since Sunday, hundreds of mourners have been rallying despite cold weather in Quetta beside the coffins of the miners. They want Khan to visit them to assure their protection.
Under Islamic tradition, burials take place as quickly as possible after death. But the Shiites have continued their sit-in to protest the killing of the miners in Baluchistan province, where Quetta is the provincial capital.
The protesters have vowed to keep up the sit-in for several months if Khan doesn't accept their key demand. They were planning to also hold a sit-in in the capital, Islamabad, where dozens of Shiites rallied on Friday night, denouncing Khan for calling the mourners blackmailers. The miners were killed on Sunday after being abducted near the Machh coal field, 48 kilometers (30 miles) east of Quetta.
“No premier of any country should be blackmailed like this,” Khan said in televised remarks from Islamabad.
The opposition and Khan's critics quickly chastised him on social media over the remarks, saying they lacked compassion for the mourners who have been protesting for six straight days. Maryam Nawaz, a leader of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League party, said Khan was insensitive and that his ego prevented him from doing the right thing.
Khan said his government had accepted all other demands of the mourners — and that he could travel to Quetta immediately after the miners' bury their loved ones first. But the Shiites rejected Khan's offer, saying their protest would continue until he visits them.
“We will not burry our people until Prime Minister Imran Khan comes to Quetta to see our ordeal and suffering,” said Arbab Liaquat Ali, a Shiite leader. Around him at the protest, some of the women had blindfolds on and hands tied behind their backs in a sign of protest.
Before coming to power in 2018, Khan as opposition leader would criticize prime ministers for attacks on the Hazara community and for not rushing to Quetta to offer condolences.
IS militants abducted and then shot and killed the miners on Sunday in Baluchistan. Police video of their bodies revealed the miners had been blindfolded, their hands tied behind their backs before being shot.
The Sunni IS affiliate promptly claimed responsibility and since then, authorities have been raiding militant hideouts to trace and arrest those who orchestrated the killings, though Khan insists Pakistan's neighbor India was behind the violence in Baluchistan.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.