Gunmen kill 20 miners, injure 7 in Pakistan's Balochistan
What's the story
A group of unidentified gunmen attacked a coal mine in Balochistan's Duki district in Pakistan late on Thursday night. The assailants stormed into the workers' accommodations and opened fire, killing 20 miners and injuring seven others. Most of the victims hailed from Pashtun-speaking areas of Balochistan, including three Afghans among the deceased and four injured.
SCO summit
Attack comes ahead of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit
Notably, the attack comes just days ahead of the high-profile Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, which Pakistan will chair in Islamabad on October 16 and 17. The summit will be attended by several heads of state, including Chinese Premier Li Qiang. Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar will also visit Pakistan for the summit, his first trip there and the first by an Indian foreign minister to Pakistan in nearly nine years.
Security boost
Security measures heightened ahead of SCO summit
In the wake of the attack and ahead of the SCO summit, security has been beefed up in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. From October 12 to 16, restaurants, wedding halls, cafes, and snooker clubs in the two cities will remain temporarily closed as part of the increased security.
Separatist suspicion
Balochistan separatist groups suspected behind attack
Notably, Balochistan, where the attack occurred, is home to separatist groups demanding independence. These groups accuse Islamabad of plundering the province's oil and mineral wealth at the cost of locals. Earlier this week, one such group—the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA)—had claimed responsibility for an attack on Chinese nationals outside Pakistan's largest airport.