Quetta sit-in ends as agreement reached between government and Shuhda Committee

 Prime Minister and Army Chief will visit Quetta today to meet the families of martyred Hazara miners 

The protesting Hazara community announced to end their sit-in and bury their dead bodies of 10 slain miners in Quetta. This announcement was made after the successful negotiations between the government team and committee of Hazara community.

The sit-in continued for 6 days in extremely cold weather. The mercury drops to -7 C in the nights. The women, children, elderly and young people belonging to families of slain miners spent freezing nights in the sit-in to press their demands. They refused to bury their loved ones without meeting with prime minister and acceptance of their demands.

 Finally, federal and provincial governments and the protesting Hazara community reached a consensus late Friday and the latter decided to end their sit-in. The government team led by Baluchistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal also included Federal minister Ali Zaidi and Deputy Speaker Qasim Soori finally convinced the hazara protestors to bury the bodies of slain miners before meeting the PM.

Thousands of Hazara protesters, including women and children, had staged a sit-in at the Western Bypass in extremely cold weather for the last six days against the brutal execution of 10 Hazara coal miners in Mach area of Baluchistan province.

Meanwhile, speaking to the protesters on the occasion, Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi said such incidences of violence must now come to an end. The minister, who had spearheaded talks on behalf of the government, said that a written agreement had been reached with the Shuhda Action Committee.

The minister said that "the demands put before us were difficult," adding that the officers who had to be removed have been decided. The minister said that if governance in Pakistan "had not been so poor, poverty like this would not have existed. People would not have been massacred like this," he said, adding: "Foreign elements wish to create sectarian division in Pakistan."

Moreover, Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan said that he was thankful to the people for ending their protest, adding that no system could prosper where "oppression” existed. The chief minister, stressing that the city and the province belonged to the people, said that it was the government's responsibility to provide the citizens with safety. The chief minister said that the government aimed at a prosperous Balochistan and that his team was striving for it.

"It isn't necessary that a sit-in takes place, every government should meet these requirements," he said. Concluding his address, the chief minister apologised to the protesters, saying that he was sorry for the inconvenience caused to them. He added that he "felt no shame in apologising to his people."

Concluding his address, the chief minister apologised to the protesters, saying that he was sorry for the inconvenience caused to them. He added that he "felt no shame in apologising to his people."

Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri said that as soon as the bodies of the deceased are buried, PM Imran Khan and the Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa would reach Quetta to condole the affected families.

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