Death Mines

Editorial by Express Tribune
1 min read

Not just the first such incident, and will not be the last unless stringent labour protection measures are put to practice. Another coalmine incident, in Harnai district of Balochistan, claimed the lives of a dozen workers on 20 March 2024.

Hundreds of miners die from mining accidents in Pakistan every year, mainly due to a deposit of coal dust and methane and hydrogen sulphide gases. Most of the deaths occur in developing countries like ours where there are scant safety measures for labour. The accidents happening frequently, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, warrant serious and immediate attention and action. The Pakistan Mines Labour Federation has rightly raised concern over the working conditions of more than 70,000 coalmine workers, pointing out that safety standards are commonly ignored in the coalmining industry in Pakistan — something that leads to accidents resulting in a significant number of fatalities every year.

It is not just the general safety and protection of the workers that is a serious threat, but also a lack of training and effective supervision for the workers to respond to hazards which puts their life at risk. Moreover, the workers are also ill-equipped with personal protection gears as a preparatory measure for emergencies. The dim light attached to their helmets makes it the sight hard for them in deep darkness. To add to that, there are no or broken warning systems to trigger an alert of gas leaks or flooding.

A failure to meet the universal standards of labour protection makes work sites in Pakistan life-threatening. It is imperative for the authorities to take diligent action and implement ILO Convention 176 on Safety and Health in Mines (C176) to at least ensure safety of the lives of coalminers, if not other rights and entitlements.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22nd, 2024.

Previous Story

Minor girl raped in F-9 Park Islamabad

Next Story

Situation Analysis of Child Labour in Punjab

Latest from Blog

Sindh Faces Alarming Rise in Unsafe Abortions

KARACHI: Sindh faces a mounting women’s health crisis, with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 abortions taking place annually — many of them unsafe, unregulated, and life-threatening. This alarming figure, combined with widespread malnutrition and anemia, is placing countless women at risk, medical experts warn. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Mehwish…

Faisalabad Hit by Surge in Rape Cases

FAISALABAD: Two minor boys were allegedly sexually assaulted in separate incidents in the city on October 9, as the number of sexual assaults against women and children has reached 538 across Faisalabad’s five town divisions, involving approximately 800 accused. The breakdown shows 115 cases in Sadr Division, 126 in Iqbal…

Couple Held for Torturing Maid

JARANWALA: A husband and wife, Shahbaz and Nadia Shahbaz, have arrested for allegedly torturing 16-year-old domestic worker, Mah Rukh Fatima, in Faisalabad. Police arrest the couple, and a case has been registered against them. According to the police report, Sana, a resident of Jaranwala, stated in the FIR registered at…

Two Held After Journalist and Minor Niece Shot Dead in Ghotki

HYDERABAD: Ghotki police booked eight suspects and arrested two in connection with the murder of 34-year-old journalist Tufail Haiderani Rind and his eight-year-old niece Reena, daughter of Jameel Ahmed Haiderani Rind. The two were shot dead on October 8, allegedly over a land dispute within the Gaddani caste. Rind, who…

UNHCR Expresses Concern Over Govt Decision To De-notify 16 Refugee Villages

ISLAMABAD: The UNHCR on October 8 expressed concern over the government’s decision to de-notify 16 refugee villages and forcibly return Afghans, including refugees, to Afghanistan. The federal government recently de-notified these 16 refugee villages in Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtun­khwa and Punjab. In August, the government asked Afghan refugees to leave the country as…
Go toTop