Machh Massacre: Balochistan chief minister removes DC Kachhi, DPO from office

• Balochistan chief minister removes DC Kachhi and DPO for negligence that led to Machh massacre
  
• A notification has also been issued in this regard by Chief Secretary Balochistan, ordering the immediate removal of the officers concerned 
• CM Jam Kamal Khan has directed forces to ensure fool-proof security across the province 

QUETTA: The Chief Minister of Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan on Thursday ordered the removal of Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kachhi as well as the District Police Officer (DPO) for their negligence which led to the Machh massacre five days ago.

According to a notification issued in this regard, the chief minister has condemned the brutal killing on Sunday of 10 coal miners belonging to the Hazara Community and has expressed his strong disapproval of the negligent attitude shown towards the protection of minorities.

Read: We live in a land where food is expensive, but blood comes cheap: Bilawal to Hazara community

CM Jam Kamal Khan has also directed forces to ensure fool-proof security across the province so that such untoward incidents could be prevented in future. 

The Chief Secretary of Balochistan has issued a notification, ordering the immediate removal of Deputy Commissioner Kachhi.

The incident

On Sunday, ten colliers were killed and four others seriously injured after armed men opened fire at them at the Machh coalfield in Balochistan's Bolan district.

The coal miners, according to police, were taken to nearby mountains where they were shot.

The 10 miners were kidnapped before dawn on Sunday as they slept near the remote coal mine in the southwestern mountainous Machh area — 60 kilometres southeast of Quetta city.

The militant group Daesh has claimed the attack, according to SITE Intelligence, which monitors militant activities worldwide. 

Hazara Community protests

Hazaras have staged a continuous sit-in in Quetta in freezing temperatures to demand justice for the coal miners gunned down in Machh last week.

The bodies of the deceased have been kept where the community is staging its demonstration on the Quetta-Sibi highway (Western Bypass), near the Hazara Town. 

Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal had visited the protest camp of the Hazara families a day ago and urged them to bury the slain coal miners.

He had appealed to let go of the condition that they will only do so if Prime Minister Imran Khan visits them.

Also read: Malala joins chorus, asks PM Imran Khan to visit Hazara mourners