Negotiations between the families of the 16 men killed in Kohat, the tribal elders, and the provincial government were successful after the government agreed to 10 demands put forward by the families.
On Friday, the Kohat Deputy Commissioner Abdul Rehman confirmed that at least 16 decayed bodies were found on Tor Chappar Hills in Kohat. Rescue 1122 workers at the scene said that those were the bodies of coal miners. They believed that the deceased belonged to Shangla.
Later on, Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed told SAMAA TV that the labourers were buried by the Pakistani Taliban 10 years ago and the complaint of their disappearance was also filed with the police.
Following the discovery of the bodies, the families of the victims along with locals arrived at the scene and staged a sit-in. They blocked Kohat Road and presented 10 demands to the tribal Jirga, which was then forwarded to the government.
Kamran Bangash, a spokesperson of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, also arrived late on Friday to negotiate with the protesters.
The government has agreed to pay Rs2.6million to each victim’s family. One person from each family will also be given a government job.
The demands also included increased security for miners and the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the incident.
The bodies were then shifted to Shngla for their burial.
