QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) – Hundreds of Pakistani Shiites have blocked a major highway on the outskirts of the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta on Monday to protest the killing of 11 coal miners by the Islamic State.
The miners, members of the country’s Shiite Hazara community, were abducted by IS militants in southwestern Baluchistan province on Sunday, taken to a nearby mountain and shot. Six died at the scene and five, critically injured, died on the way to hospital.
According to the police video, the miners were blindfolded and their hands tied behind their backs before being shot. The attack took place near the Machh coal field, about 48 kilometers east of Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan.
The Sunni militant group has repeatedly targeted Pakistan’s minority Shiites over the past few years. IS quickly took responsibility after the abduction of the miners.
The protesters on Monday brought the coffins containing the bodies of the miners to the Quetta highway and demanded that they not be buried until the authorities arrested the killers. According to Islamic tradition, funerals take place as soon as possible after death.
The crowd of about 1,000 said it would hold the sit-up until their demands were met. Authorities say they are still trying to track down and arrest the attackers and that police raids were underway in the area.
Officials held talks with Shiite leaders to persuade the Hazaras to end the protest, as many cried over the coffins of the miners during the protest, including women and children.
“When terrorists kill our people, the government sends its representatives and says that they will ensure our protection. We have never received protection in the past. We want to arrest the killers of our people, “said Daud Agha, a leading Shiite leader.
The killing of the miners has been condemned across the country, with Prime Minister Imran Khan promising that the families of the victims will be taken care of and that the perpetrators will face justice.
The Hazara community in Pakistan has been targeted many times by Sunni militant groups, including the Islamic State group, in recent times. IS has also declared war on Shiite minors in neighboring Afghanistan, and has claimed a number of deadly attacks across the region since its inception in 2014.
20 people were killed during a suicide bombing at an open-air market in Quetta in April 2019. IS said at the time that it had targeted Shiites and elements of the Pakistani army.
Last year in January, IS claimed responsibility for a powerful explosion that tore through a mosque in Quetta during an evening prayer. In the blast, a senior police officer and 13 others were killed, and another 20 worshipers were injured.
The Baluchistan province in Pakistan in recent decades has also been the scene of a low uprising by separatists demanding more autonomy and a greater share in the region’s natural resources such as gas and oil.