Amjad Hadi Yousafzai
May 1, known as Labour Day, is observed around the world as a symbol of workers’ rights, but for the laborers of Shangla, it is not a day of celebration—it is a painful reminder of a harsh reality. These are the people who, in search of livelihood, leave behind their beautiful yet underdeveloped district and travel to different parts of the country, especially Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to work in coal mines where the line between life and death is as thin as a single breath. Shangla has almost no industry, government jobs are scarce, and the private sector is virtually nonexistent. As a result, young men are left with no option but to descend into the depths of the earth, into mines where darkness does not only surround them physically but also clouds their future.
Reports by international labor organizations and research institutions highlight that this is not just a local issue but a national tragedy. According to findings by the IndustriALL Global Union, more than 100,000 workers are employed in Pakistan’s coal mines, where safety measures are almost nonexistent and even basic facilities are lacking. These reports further reveal that within just a few years, dozens of accidents claimed hundreds of lives—one study documented 53 major incidents in which 312 workers were killed, most due to mine collapses and gas explosions. The situation remains grim in recent years as well; in 2023 alone, at least 100 miners lost their lives, while in some years the death toll has ranged between 100 and 200. These numbers are not just statistics—they are the untold stories of young men from places like Shangla who leave home to earn a living but return as lifeless bodies, or never return at all.
Working in coal mines does not just risk death; it also guarantees long-term illness. Experts suggest that a miner can physically sustain this work for only five to ten years. After that, their lungs are severely damaged by coal dust, leading to respiratory diseases, tuberculosis, and other life-threatening conditions. These illnesses silently destroy the body until the worker is no longer able to earn a living, yet has no access to adequate medical care. Even more tragic are those who survive accidents but are left permanently disabled—losing limbs, eyesight, or mobility, and forced to spend the rest of their lives dependent on others.
This entire situation is not the result of natural causes but of governmental negligence and systemic failure. Safety laws may exist on paper, but their implementation is almost nonexistent. Workers descend hundreds of feet underground without helmets, masks, or proper training, constantly exposed to toxic gases, explosions, and cave-ins. After every major accident, authorities issue statements and announce investigations, yet meaningful action rarely follows. Mine owners are seldom held accountable, and compensation for victims’ families is often inadequate or delayed. It would not be wrong to say that these deaths are not accidents but a continuous injustice sustained by silence and indifference.
The plight of Shangla’s people is rooted in harsh compulsion. When a father cannot feed his children, when access to education and employment is blocked, even danger begins to look like an opportunity. This is why every year, a large number of young men from Shangla head toward these mines, fully aware that the journey may not bring them back. It is not merely poverty—it is the result of state neglect that has pushed an entire region toward hazardous labor.
Amid this tragedy, there is also a pressing need for awareness. Many young men risk their lives for meager wages without realizing that this income is temporary but its consequences are permanent and devastating. It is crucial to instill the understanding that life is far more valuable than a few thousand rupees, and that acquiring skills, pursuing education, and seeking alternative livelihoods are the only paths to a safer future.
In the end, the same question arises every Labour Day, yet remains unanswered: will the state continue to treat its workers as mere statistics, or will their lives finally be valued? The miners of Shangla still descend into dark tunnels each day with the hope that they will return home by evening. The reality, however, is that many never do—and the lights in their homes are extinguished forever.
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