Govt fails to convince Hazaras to call off sit-in

F.P. Report       

QUETTA: Hazara families of the 11 miners, who were brutally killed by unidentified men at the Machh coalfield, continue their sit-in on the fifth consecutive day after representatives of the government failed to persuade the protesting families to call off sit-in.

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Zaidi and SAPM Zulfi Bukhari met the protesting families of miners, however, the protesters do not seem willing to end the protest and vowed to continue their sit-in until Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Quetta.

Addressing a press conference, Jam Kamal urged the protestors to not make burial of slain coal miners conditional with arrival of PM Imran Khan. He said enemies of country don’t like unity between people and want to spread unrest in the country.

Agha Raza, one of the organizer of the sit-in said that the sit-in was not organized by anyone, adding, “We are the voice of the people and the sit-in was called at the request of the families of the slain miners.”

He said that the families of slain miners were voluntarily sitting with the bodies and vowed to continue their sit-in until Prime Minister Imran Khan visits Quetta and make an announcement.

On the other hand, the government’s representatives failed to convince participants of the protest to call off their sit-in.