SHANGLA: Legal heirs of the coal miners, who died in a blast in a Quetta coal mine on July 30, refused to receive the compensation cheques worth Rs400,000, saying the amount is less than what their loved ones deserved.

The Workers Welfare Fund Balochistan had brought the cheques that were being distributed at a ceremony at the district hall in Alpuri on Friday.

Workers Welfare Fund secretary Zulfiqar Ahmad, Workers Welfare Fund Balochistan officials, Shangla deputy commissioner Abdullah Khan, MPA Rashad Khan and others were present on the occasion.

The heirs of 32 victims from three villages of Shangla were supposed to receive the cheques.

The ceremony was disrupted when the heirs refused to receive the cheques.

Afsarul Mulk Afghan, who represented the families of the coal miners, claimed that the Balochistan government was deceiving the miners.

“The Balochistan government is trying to reopen the closed mine,” he said.

Mr Afghan said that the heirs were being paid Rs400,000 to reopen the “illegal” mine.

“If the cheques are from the government of Balochistan, we cannot accept them,” he said.

He added that the Balochistan government forced poor workers from Shangla to work in dangerous mines.

He said that the bodies of the coal miners were sent home, devastating their families.

He claimed that negligence and compromise over the safety of the coal miners led to a rising number of deadly coal mine incidents.

He said paying Rs400,000 in compensation amounted to deceiving the families of the victims.

Later in the day, the DC Shangla and MPA Rashad Khan assured the miners’ families that they would ensure the safety of their loved ones through legislation, policy and implementation of laws.

The deputy commissioner told Dawn that the families had been repeatedly informed that the cheques were sent by the Workers Welfare Fund, but they were still suspicious of them.

He said some people from the association were trying to politicise the event.

The official said that he possessed the 32 cheques and would hand them over to the families in a couple of days.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2026