Hundreds of Shia Pakistanis gathered on 9th January 2021 to bury 11 coal miners from the Hazara community killed by the armed group IS (ISIS).
Protesters staged a sit-in after IS fighters captured and shot the miners last Sunday in Machh (Balochistan). Shia across Pakistan had joined in the week long demonstrations after the attack – including blocking roads in major cities – demanding that Prime Minister Imran Khan visit the grieving community in Quetta and assure their protection.
Authorities on Friday promised the arrest of the attackers, payment of compensation to the bereaved families and better security for the Hazara.
More than 4,000 people attended the last rites of the dead miners whose bodies were laid to rest.
Balochistan is the country’s largest yet poorest province engulfed with ethnic, sectarian and separatist insurgencies.
