For Pakistan's coal miners, the greatest danger has never been the darkness beneath the earth but the indifference above it. Negligence this time has cost the lives of 34 workers in the Sorange coalfield near Quetta, where a methane gas explosion triggered a fire, collapsed two mines and trapped dozens underground.

This was a preventable disaster in an industry where safety regulations are routinely ignored and accountability rarely extends beyond the announcement of compensation and yet another inquiry.........

© The Express Tribune