The Hazaras are is once again in mourning after three greengrocers were gunned down by unidentified assailants at the Hazar Ganji Fruit and Vegetable Market on Sunday morning. The attack left two others in critical conditions. The victims, residents of Hazara Town in the Brewery area, had travelled roughly 13 kilometres to the market before being targeted in what local witnesses describe as a targeted attack.
At the time of this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the killings. However, the brazen nature of the attack—occurring in a city with heavily restricted entry and exit points—has reignited long-standing frustrations regarding regional security. Despite Balochistan being under tightened administrative and military oversight since the 2006 assassination of Nawab Akbar Bugti, targeted killings of the Hazara minority continue with devastating regularity. The ability of militants to operate within a city fortified by checkpoints has led many to question the effectiveness, and even the complicity, of the local security apparatus.
This latest tragedy follows a similar pattern of violence. Just last month, another vendor, identified as Jan Ali, was murdered in the same market. In that instance, as with today’s attack, the perpetrators managed to vanish into the city despite an omnipresent network of security pickets. The killers remain at large.
For over two decades, the Hazaras in Pakistan have endured a systematic campaign of violence, ranging from suicide bombings to mass executions. This relentless persecution has claimed over 2,000 lives and left more than 4,000 survivors with life-altering injuries. The toll is felt across every facet of society, with the community losing its brightest teachers, students, lawyers, and civil servants to a cycle of violence that shows no sign of relenting.
Hazara United Movement (HUM), United Kingdom 