Hazara United Movement (HUM), United Kingdom

File Picture

Hazara United Movement (HUM), UK is aggrieved over the Hazara Town Quetta’s suicide bombing which occurred yesterday killing 5 innocent people and injuring 23 others. These perpetual attacks on the Hazaras are the failure of the security establishments and intelligence agencies as transporting explosives from far flung areas to the bustling bazaars is incredibly arduous task. These incidents cast doubt as to how the suicide bombers can reach to their targets with 8KGs of explosives and blow themselves among the local populace. These incidents exhibit that the terrorists and religious extremists have holed up among Quetta’s local populace with complicity of the government.

Both the federal and Balochistan provincial governments have taken no serious steps to eradicate the menace of religious extremism from the country. As the government, the Pakistan army and the security establishments  are boastful about the success of Zarb-e-Azb Operation in North Waziristan, this is the most appropriate time to launch the same offensive against the religious extremists and terrorists in and around Quetta city to root out this menace completely.

File Picture.

Hazara United Movement is saddened and mourns the targeted-killings of two innocent Hazaras who have become the latest victims of terrorism on Sariab Road Quetta. These targeted killings have reoccurred after the temporary pause in such attacks where the federal and Balochistan provincial governments boastfully practice the mantra of improving law and order situation in Quetta city.

As the victims were particularly searched for and then shot dead by the terrorists, it substantiates that the local population of Sariab Road is harbouring and supporting such terrorists which is extremely condemnable.

The deliberate silence of the intelligence and security agencies in Quetta cast doubts as to whether they are protecting the terrorists or the civilians.

HUM is aggrieved and sympathizes with the families of the victims over such irreparable loss of human lives.

Mastung Incident

Today’s tragic incident in Mastung area, on the buses of Pakistani pilgrims, disproves the claims of the Balochistan’s provincial government for improving the law and order situation in the province. The Islamist extremists have holed up in southern part of Quatta city, including Sariab Road, Akhtarabad and Mastung etc, who use these areas as a conduit to perpetuate their heinous attacks on innocent civilians. The Balochistan government’s lack of will to initiate operation cleanup against the terrorists substantiates that the government itself is protecting a handful of Islamist extremists who have flexed their muscles to take people for granted with impunity.

The incumbent Balochistan Chief Minister’s repeated appeals from terrorists to avoid killing innocent people, testifies his inability and incompetence to hold the reign of the government. He has drifted away from the constitutional obligations and betrayed public mandate entrusted to protect the lives of the people. The government’s complicity has helped these Islamist terrorists to challenge the writ and flout the rule of the law. Government’s lax attitude and inaction against the Islamist terrorists has jeopardized its sovereignty and the supremacy of the parliament. These attacks plunge Pakistan into a civil war which can only be avoidable by timely and Swat-type military operation against them.

The government cannot solace people with rote condemnations instead a tangible resolve to crush religious extremism from the country should be chalked out at the earliest. In the meanwhile, the supporters and sympathizers of the religious extremists and terrorists in and out of the parliament should be singled out in all decisions as they have endangered the otherwise plural and tolerant Pakistani society.

The targeted passenger bus in flames.

The relentless attacks on the Shias and other minorities in parts of Pakistan demand decisive measures against the Islamic extremists across the country. Pakistan is apparently in the grip of ethno-religious attacks by affiliates of Al-Qaeda such as Lashker-e-Ghangvi, Tehrek-e-Taliban Pakistan and the recently sprouting Jaish-e-Islam which have escalated their terrorist activities against the Shias, the Hindus, the Christians, the Ahmedis, the Hazaras and the other Sunni sects to plunge the country into a civil war. As their flawed interpretation of Islamic injunctions and teachings have furthered been exposed in the last decade through out the world, they are making hectic efforts to fan sectarian violence in the country to appease their masters. However, the citizens of Pakistan have demonstrated great length of patience and maturity to foil all such ignoble attempts.

The January 1 attack on the inbound passenger bus of pilgrims, en route from Pakistan’s Taftan region to Quetta; with explosive-laden vehicle near Akhtarabad area of Quetta, which killed 2 innocent people and injured 30 others; signals the severity of the situation. The repetitive attacks on innocent civilians in areas of Sariab Road and Akhtarabad in the last five years authenticate that the Islamic terrorists have established their strongholds in these localities. These are, otherwise, predominantly Baloch-dominated areas which have harboured and cherished Islamic terrorists to facilitate their attacks on innocent people. This remains a terrible fact that that the terrorists living among the local population in these areas cannot do so without keen support and sympathies of the locals.

This is a great shame on part of the successive democratic governments of Pakistan to avoid taking concrete action against a handful of Islamic terrorists which has further emboldened them to make shallow attempts of infiltrating the Hazara-populated area of Alamdar Road in case of fruit products, wrapped in colourful pages of Persian poet Hafiz Sherazi, imported from  a neighbouring country. The benighted turban-clad religious extremists who chanted inflammatory slogans, entered Alamdar Road to provoke the local inhabitants for a hostile confrontation, are aware of the fact that Alamdar Road does not border any neighbouring country nor the imported commodities were transported from the area.

In recent months, the newly-elected Balochistan provincial government made boastful claims of recovering thousands of tons of explosives and its accessories from outskirts of Quetta and demolishing a bomb-making factory in Chaman (near Afghanistan border) in a raid, however, such purported claims cannot be corroborated  in view of the non-arrest of the culprits and the lack of interest in weeding out religious extremism from the Province.

The negligence and apathy of the federal and Balochistan’s provincial governments will further lead the country towards anxiety, chaos and mayhem resulting in country-wide communal cum religious clashes which, if erupted, will char everything.

General Physician, Dr Sher Ali Hazara’s file photo.

Four innocent Shias including a Hazara general physician, Dr Sher Ali Hazara were target-killed in different parts of Pakistan yesterday which alarms the surge in the killings of innocent people in the country. The latest tragic incidents show that the religious extremists are making every effort to escalate sectarian tension in the country before the month of Muharram to perturb the law and order situation which requires immediate remedial measures by the government. The corrupt and opportunist politicians have handed over the entire country to the religious terrorists who are taking innocent lives with minimal fear of facing prosecution. Similarly, the role of judicial activism in the country has become highly objectionable for it turns deaf ear to these unprovoked killings.

The recent spate of targeted attacks against the Hazaras, the Christians,  Ahmedis and the Hindu minorities demand speedy operation clean-up by the government against the religious extremists in worst-affected areas such as the Khyber Pakhtoonkhawa, Karachi and adjoining areas of Quetta city.

The Pakistani government’s role in providing security to the lives and property of the minorities in Pakistan has declined badly as the terrorists flee the scenes after performing the tasks.

Dr Sher Ali Hazara, besides his obligations as a medical doctor, furthered the voice of the Hazaras and Shias in matters of human rights violations as the General Secretary of Hazara Mughal Yekjehti Forum of Pakistan by organising and leading press conference(s), static demonstrations and rallies.

HUM pays homage to his aggreived family and the HMYF for his strenuous socio-political activism and pray to the Almighty to solace the heirs and kins of this irraparable loss.

Bodies of the Hazara coalmine labourers being loaded onto a pickup Datsun.

After a cessation in the targeted killings of the Pakistani Hazaras, the terrorists have again dared to kill innocent people with impunity which are indictment against the federal and provincial governments of Pakistan.

Yesterday’s targeted killings of the Hazara coalmine labourers in Mach area of Bolan district testify that the government lacks interest to exercise preventive measures to curb such menace. The willingness of the federal and Balochistan’s provincial governments to initiate a peace talk with the terrorists ascertains their intention to use these terrorists as proxies in the region in future which is highly condemnable.

The Governor Balochistan, in a press statement, accepted the fact that the deteriorating law and order situation in the province is the failure of the intelligence agencies. This statement must not be taken at face value in that the highest public office holder laments about the intelligence agencies’ complicity with the terrorists and religious extremists to exacerbate the security situation.

The ongoing genocide of Pakistani Hazaras require urgent attention of the world community including the human rights organisations to take practical measures for complete halt of these unjustified killings. The mainstream nationalist political parties of Pakistan must also make sincere and meaningful efforts in providing complete security to the minorities including the Hazaras.

HUM proffers its deepest condolences to the aggrieved families of the Hazara coalmine labourers who fell victims to unprovoked firing resulting in their instant demise.

Smashed car window at the scene

The targeted killings of four innocent Hazaras on Masjid Road Quetta exemplifies that the federal and provincial governments are not doing enough to provide foolproof security to the masses. Despite claims of tight security, check posts and deployment of security personnel in Quetta city, this is the second major attack on Hazaras in the last two weeks. 

Over 10 days ago, Jannat Ali Hazara – a mid cadre government employee – was abducted from the premises of Balochistan Civil Secretariat in broad-day light who has not been traced as yet while today’s targeted killings have deepened the wounds of the Hazaras.

The DIG Police has confirmed the number of assailants (4) while talking to the media but failed to show interest in apprehending the culprits.

The law enforcement departments and intelligence agencies require immediate overhaul to curb the menace of extremism and ethno-religious attacks on minorities.