There have been several mining accidents across the country and predominantly in Balochistan and KPK during the past few years which have resulted in death and injury. Miners are either suffocated underground, trapped, or injured. They are not provided with basic safety equipment and the mine practices are usually archaic and highly dangerous. There is no regulatory framework for the safety of miners and no government regulatory body that regulates, monitors or controls their occupational health and safety. ILO’s Conventions including the Safety and Health in Mines Convention, 1995 (C176) has not been ratified by Pakistan.
Subcommittee of PILAP under leadership of Mr. Shamsuddin Sheikh is working with experts and activists in the field to draft policy recommendations for the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights, offering suggestions to improve the diverse and multiple existing legislations. PILAP will pursue the suggested legislation with the government at Federal and Provincial levels. PILAP has written RTIs to the Ministry of Energy as well as the Ministry of Human Resources and Overseas Pakistanis asking for any measures taken to ratify this significant international instrument.
