Lights out for miners in Mastung

On Thursday, October 13, we were reminded yet again of the hazards attached to the coal mining industry in Pakistan. At least five people were killed and several injured due to a gas explosion in a coal mine in Mastung district of Balochistan.

Carnage in Mastung

The spate of sectarian violence, continuing in Balochistan for over a decade, has recently increased in frequency of attacks and their intensity. A most brutal example of this was seen on Tuesday, when unidentified gunmen intercepted a bus near Mastung, which was carrying Hazara Shia men to Iran on a pilgrimage. Operating in a most ruthless and calculated manner, the assailants told the pilgrims to disembark, identified them through their identity cards, segregated the Hazaras and mercilessly gunned them down.

More provinces: tread this path carefully

Former Federal Minister Senator Raza Rabbani has urged Pakistan People's Party Co-Chairperson Asif Ali Zardari to be more cautious in his decision to pursue a demand for another province carved out of Punjab. At a time when the debate for new provinces has gained momentum, Rabbani's advice to President Zardari is sound and reflects the senator's decades of political experience.

The Kharotabad Debacle

The Kharotabad incident, which resulted in the killing of five Chechens by the security forces, has become a case-study of paramilitary brutality, intimidation and cover-ups. Numerous reports over the past month have revealed the extent to which the security forces go to cover up their illegal actions and ineptness.

Prevention is better than cure

With the release of the Flood Inquiry Commission's detailed report, submitted to the Supreme Court, it has become evident the malaise of corruption, negligence and failure to perform tasks responsibly led to the breach of the Tori Dyke during the last year's devastating floods. Though the report states that the breach was not intentional, but it cost the loss of more than 850 billion rupees, besides a loss of one additional Rabi crop in Jaffarabad district of Balochistan.