Quetta
Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan has once again appealed to the mourners of the Machh tragedy to bury the slain coal miners. ‘The religious obligations may not be held back,’ he wrote on Twitter. ‘I request you all again.’ He urged the mourners to cooperate with the government.
Separately, Jam Kamal has asked for an inquiry committee to be formed which will be tasked to see all aspects and departments which have not followed their SOPs and rules of business. Chairing a high-level meeting on the law and order situation in the province, the chief minister stressed that the mines and labour department should ensure that labour laws are followed and every aspect is followed legally.
Earlier on Wednesday, Jam Kamal said that Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit the Hazara community but the burial of the coal miners should not be conditional on his arrival. He said, ‘Prime Minister Imran Khan and President Dr Arif Alvi will visit the Hazara community but the people have elected me as their chief minister and the responsibility rests on me.’ Kamal said the incident took place on January 3 and he was in Dubai, but returned to the country after he heard the news. ‘The purpose of all of us coming here is to highlight the seriousness of the issue.’
He further said that enemy forces do not want the province to progress. He added that the people can testify that the law and order situation in the province has improved drastically. The chief minister said that efforts are under way to improve the security situation in the province, adding that the provincial government is striving for peace and development in the region, despite all challenges.
Meanwhile, Majlis Wahad-e-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Syed Hashim Moosvi categorically denied that an agreement has been reached between the Hazara community and the government as their protest entered the fifth day on Thursday refusing to bury bodies of the Machh killing victims.
Speaking to the media in Quetta, the MWM leader clarified that no agreement has been reached with the government and stated that they will continue to protest till their demands are met. He further asked people protesting in solidarity across the country to continue their demonstrations. Sit-ins continue across the country with major arteries of cites blocked for protests. A number of roads were blocked across Karachi causing major traffic jams in the metropolis.—TLTP
