PM says arrival contingent on Hazaras burying bodies first

Ag Agencies

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday asked Hazara protesters — whose sit-in with the bodies of slain miners continued for a sixth day — to bury their dead first, and if they did so, he would go to them the same day.

The Hazaras refused to bury the bodies of the 10 miners killed in a brutal attack that was claimed by Daesh. The 10 miners from the minority community were kidnapped and killed near a coal mine in the Machh area of Balochistan on Sunday.

Hazara protesters, numbering up to 3,000, have since blocked a road on the outskirts of Quetta, demanding better protection as well as a visit from Prime Minister Khan. Several solidarity protests have taken place across Pakistan this week, with sit-ins mushrooming in Multan, Sargodha, Karachi — now in 29 areas — Muzaffargarh, Sukkur, Islamabad and Lahore.

“No country’s prime minister should be blackmailed like this, otherwise everyone will start blackmailing the Prime Minister,” Khan said at a gathering in Islamabad. He then referred to a “band of thieves” who he said had been “blackmailing” him for the past two-and-a-half years to “withdraw corruption cases against them”.

He said he would only visit Quetta once the funerals had taken place. “That is why it is important [to say] — and I have told them (the Hazara), that as soon as you bury them, I will go to Quetta and meet the mourners. And I say from this platform: If they bury the bodies today, I will go and meet them today.

“It should be clear that we have agreed to all your demands. But you cannot do this, setting a condition — which makes no sense — ‘that when the Prime Minister comes, then we will proceed with the burials’... first bury the bodies and I guarantee you I will come.”

Khan’s use of the world “blackmail” triggered strong reactions from the opposition parties as his cabinet scrambled to clarify what he meant.

In a press conference in Karachi, Maryam Nawaz, who was returning from Quetta on her way to Lahore, termed the Premier’s remarks as “pharaoh-like”. She termed the words of Prime Minister Imran Khan “insensitive” and “inhumane”. She said the relatives of the victims want words of compassion and kindness from the Prime Minister and assurance that such incidents would not repeat in the future. “Is that blackmail?” she asked. Information minister Shibli Faraz clarified that the Prime Minister’s use of the word “blackmailing” was meant for “those people who play politics on every issue”. In a tweet, he referred to the opposition as “lacking humanity”. “The Prime Minister shares the sufferings of the oppressed equally and considers it his first duty to bring justice to the affected families,” he added.

In a talk with Geo News’ Shahzad Iqbal, Faraz mirrored the statements and criticised the opposition for “trying to set up their political shop” over the tragedy. Shahzad Iqbal also spoke to a protester over the phone, who dispelled any notion of “pressure from elsewhere” and that they were organising the sit-in of their own accord. He also confirmed they would not bury the bodies until the Premier visits them, “Be it today, tomorrow, 10 days or a month”.

Faraz also said the Prime Minister had not refused to go, he just did not want it the burials to be made it a “condition” to his visit.

Federal minister Ali Zaidi, who is currently in Quetta, tweeted the agreement between the protesters and the government and said: “If all is agreed, then who is playing politics with bodies of the martyrs?”

Interior minister Sheikh Rashid, in a press conference, said religious and tribal leaders would hopefully convince the families of slain miners to bury the bodies after which the Prime Minister “will be among them and will have detailed discussion with them to address their grievances”. “The bodies of the slain miners should be buried in view of sanctity of the martyred,” he added.

He said Special Assistant to Prime Minister, Zulfi Bukhari and federal minister Ali Zaidi were already present in Quetta to condole with the bereaved families. He said there were certain reasons (including security matters) behind the delay in the Prime Minister’s visit to Quetta “which cannot be made public”.

“It is a sad state of affairs that some sections are politicising this matter. There is a lot of time for politics in the future,” he lamented, adding Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Maryam Nawaz “have made political speeches” during their visit to Quetta.

He also confirmed that a “new wave of terrorism exists” in the country including Islamabad, Lahore, Quetta and Peshawar which were on high alert. “There are threats from Indian RAW agents and those who work on the payroll of others,” he pointed out.