Funeral of 11 coal miners killed in Balochistan to be held today

Quetta [Pakistan], January 4 (ANI): Eleven coal miners, who were killed by unidentified men at the Machh coalfield on Sunday, will be buried on Monday in Quetta here.
According to a report in Geo News, the families of the victims, including women and children, continued to stage a sit-in on the Quetta-Sibi highway with the victim's bodies demanding the Balochistan government to either arrest the killers or resign.
On Sunday, 11 coal miners were killed, while four others were seriously injured after unidentified men opened fire on them at the Machh coal field here.
As per the Geo News, police said that the armed men took the coal miners to nearby mountains and opened fire. Eleven were confirmed dead by police while others injured were reported to be in critical condition.
However, the Balochistan government has denied that the incident was a cause of a security lapse.
Speaking to Geo News, Liaquat Shahwani, Balochistan government spokesperson, said the incident was an act of terrorism. "Investigative institutions are probing the incident from every angle to determine who is responsible for this," he said.
He further said that the terrorist activities in Balochistan are rising but "the Levies personnel are present in the area to provide security".
"[Law and order in the area] was satisfactory; hence, this incident wasn't expected," he added.
Following the brutal killings, protests are being held in several parts of the country.
In Karachi, a protest rally was held, while a demonstration was held at the exhibition square and candles were lit in Multan, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, in Quetta, Hazaras protesting the Machh incident on Western Bypass near Hazara Town. (ANI)