India on Friday condemned the killing of 11 coal miners in Pakistan's Balochistan in a terror attack and asserted that it is a responsibility of every country to protect its minorities and respect their basic human rights.
"We condemn this terrorist act. It is a responsibility of every country that they should protect their minorities and respect their basic human rights," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on a query about the terror attack in Balochistan.
On Sunday, unidentified gunmen stormed a coal mine in Machh town near Quetta, pulling out ethnic Hazaras, members of Pakistan's Shia minority community, from their homes and opening fire on them.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack. Following the deadly attack, protests erupted in the region with the kin of the victims refusing to bury the dead until the government meets their demands.
The protestors have held several rounds of negotiations with members of Prime Minister Imran Khan's cabinet, including Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, but to no avail.
Through the week, protests spread to several other cities, including Karachi, Lahore and other towns.
The National Commission on Human Rights has estimated that more than 2,000 Hazaras-- adherents of the minority Shia Muslim sect, and easily targeted due to their distinctive facial features-- have been killed in targeted attacks since 2004, Al Jazeera reported.
They have been subject to targeted shootings and mass bomb and suicide attacks, particularly in Quetta, where the majority of the country's estimated half a million Hazaras reside.
Since 2013, after some of the worst bombings took place, the city's Hazara population has been largely restricted to residing within two heavily fortified enclaves on either side of the city.
( With inputs from ANI )
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