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Danish calls for probe into Pakistan attack on Hazara coal miners
Second Vice President Sarwar Danish has called on Pakistan and the international community to probe the “cowardly” attack on coal miners, seven of whom were Afghan nationals, by extremists groups in Pakistan and prosecute the culprits.
Pakistan’s Geo News reported that eleven coal miners were gunned down and four others seriously injured after armed men shot them on Sunday at the Machh coalfield in the Balochistan state of Pakistan.
The victims were members of the minority Hazara Shi’ite community, which has frequently come under attack in the past both in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that seven of the victims were Afghan nationals working at the coal mine.
“The Foreign Ministry has directed the Afghan consulate in Quetta (the capital of Balochistan) and Embassy in Islamabad to provide any aid the victims’ families need,” the statement said.
The Ministry added that Afghanistan is ready to work jointly with the Pakistani government to investigate the “brutal crime” and prosecute the perpetrators.
The Islamic State (Daesh) claimed responsibility for executing the ethnic Hazaras.
Daesh militants have frequently targeted the Shi’ite/Hazara shrines, places of worship, and educational centers in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The attack prompted an outcry in Pakistan and Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan called it a “cowardly inhumane act of terrorism.”
“The condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Machh Balochistan is yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism. Have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers & bring them to justice. The families of the victims will not be left abandoned by the government,” Khan tweeted.
According to Pakistan news agencies, protests were held in the country, including a candle-light vigil in Multan city.
“In Quetta, Hazaras are continuing to protest the Machh incident on Western Bypass near Hazara Town,” Geo TV reported.
Latest News
UNESCO: 2.4 million Afghan girls denied education since 2021
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) said on Tuesday around 2.4 million Afghan girls have been denied secondary education since the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) returned to power in 2021.
In a statement on Tuesday, UNESCO said Afghanistan is the only country in the world where girls and women are officially barred from secondary and higher education.
The organization warned that the restrictions could increase poverty, reduce employment opportunities and cause long-term damage to Afghanistan’s future.
UNESCO estimates that the ban could force around 600,000 Afghan women out of the workforce by 2066 and cause $9.6 billion in lost income. It could also increase the risk of early marriage.
Girls’ secondary schools were closed in March 2022, followed by a ban on women attending universities in December of the same year. The IEA initially described the restrictions as temporary, but they remain in place.
UNESCO also warned that the restrictions could worsen Afghanistan’s shortage of female teachers. It estimates the country could face a shortage of more than 11,000 qualified female teachers by 2030.
The organization said more than 90% of 10-year-old children in Afghanistan cannot read a simple text, while the national literacy rate is around 37%.
Nearly half of the country’s schools also lack adequate access to water, sanitation or heating, UNESCO said.
According to the report, around three million people returned to Afghanistan in 2025, putting further pressure on the education system. Since 2021, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters have also forced around 1,000 schools to close.
Russia’s Power Machines Company is interested in investing in the rehabilitation and modernization of Afghanistan’s power plants, Da Afghanistan Breshna Sherkat (DABS) said on Tuesday.
DABS Chief Executive Officer Abdul Haq Hamkar discussed the potential investment with technical officials from Power Machines, with talks focusing on rehabilitating existing power plants, modernizing equipment and expanding power-generation capacity.
According to DABS, Hamkar said the company would cooperate in facilitating preliminary technical assessments of Afghanistan’s power plants and in exploring investment opportunities in the sector.
Denis Rudakov, head of Power Machines’ commercial department, said the Russian company plans to conduct preliminary technical assessments of existing power plants in Afghanistan.
Based on the findings, Power Machines will prepare proposals for rehabilitating facilities, modernizing equipment and increasing electricity-generation capacity, DABS said.
Afghanistan currently has several operational power plants, while efforts are underway to increase their generation capacity and upgrade their equipment, according to DABS.
Zabihullah Mujahid, spokesman for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA), on Tuesday denied that IEA authorities detained Mahmood Shah Habibi, an Afghan-American businessman the US claims disappeared in Kabul four years ago.
“We have no information about Mahmood Shah Habibi. He is not with the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. If he were, this issue would have been resolved long ago,” Mujahid said.
His remarks came a day after the FBI marked the fourth anniversary of Habibi’s disappearance and renewed its appeal for information about his whereabouts.
According to the FBI, Habibi disappeared near his home in Kabul on August 10, 2022. At the time, he was working as a consultant for Asia Consultancy Group, a Kabul-based telecommunications company. He had previously served as Afghanistan’s director of civil aviation.
The FBI has alleged that Habibi was detained by the IEA’s General Directorate of Intelligence.
The FBI has continued its investigation and in 2025 released a missing-persons poster for Habibi. The U.S. State Department has also offered a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to his location, recovery and return.
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Countdown begins for inaugural Afghanistan Wrestling Premier League
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Tahawol: Hamid Karzai’s call for Afghan reconciliation discussed
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