Hanif Tareen:Â
HARNAI: A tragic mine collapse in the Khost area of Harnai district has claimed the lives of two more coal miners, once again exposing the lethal reality facing laborers working deep beneath the surface in Balochistan.
​The fatal incident occurred inside a mine owned by contractor Mehrullah, where the victims were working deep underground when the structure caved in. Following the collapse, a large number of fellow miners and local residents rushed to the scene, launching a frantic, community-led rescue effort to retrieve the trapped workers under incredibly harrowing conditions.
​Despite their bravery, the incident underscores a harrowing trend: hazardous working conditions in Balochistan’s coal mines continue to claim precious human lives almost daily, largely going unnoticed by regulatory bodies.
​Lashing out at the authorities, prominent labor leader Peer Muhammad Kakar heavily criticized the provincial Mines and Minerals Department. Kakar fiercely condemned the department’s failure to enforce existing labor laws and safety regulations, accusing officials of leaving vulnerable workers entirely unprotected in dangerous, sub-standard pits.
