Barely a week after the recovery of the final bodies from the Sorange coal mine near Quetta, Pakistan's latest mining disaster is already fading from the headlines. Yet the deaths of 34 miners should not simply become another statistic. As with previous mining disasters, expressions of grief, promises of investigations and compensation for bereaved families have followed. The real test, however, is whether this tragedy finally prompts the reforms needed to improve mining conditions in the country.

The HRCP's 2022 fact-finding report, 'Beneath the Surface: Rights Violations in Balochistan's Coal Mines', documented hazardous working conditions, weak labour protections and the limited livelihood options facing coal miners in the province. It pointed out how shortages of trained mine inspectors, infrequent inspections and weak enforcement of safety regulations have allowed these dangerous conditions to persist.

The HRCP's recommendations were neither radical nor prohibitively expensive. They included........

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