Machh massacre: Haraza mourners refuse to end sit-in

QUETTA: Hundreds of members of the Hazara community protesting the killings of 11 coal miners at Machh have refused to call off their sit-in until Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits Quetta and promises their security.

The miners who were kidnapped and executed by Islamic State militants were Shia Hazaras.

Families and relatives of those killed are protesting on the Quetta-Sibi highway since Sunday.

“Prime Minister Imran Khan himself should visit Quetta and look into all these issues,” the leader of the Hazaras said Monday.

Up to 2,500 protesters blocked a bypass on the outskirts of Quetta on Monday, demanding justice, Geo reported.

“We will not end our protest until the arrest of all the assassins,” Balochistan Shia Conference chief Agha Daud said

“The latest wave of killings will spread to other cities including Quetta if a decisive action is not taken at this stage,” he said.

The protesting relatives of miners demanded the resignation of the Balochistan government.

On Monday, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed flew to Quetta and joined the sit-in.

He said he is ready to accept all the demands of the Hazara people, except the resignation of the Balochistan government.