Tag: Hazara killings

  • Hazaras face yet another tragedy

    Hazaras face yet another tragedy

    Imagine the pain of those families who not just lost their loved ones to a gruesome terrorist attack but also kept waiting for the state to show empathy towards them.

    11 Hazara coal miners were target killed in Balochistan last week. Their families staged a protest in the freezing cold of Quetta for a week and said they would not bury their dead till they meet Prime Minister Imran Khan. But the PM asked them to bury their dead first. He said he wouldn’t be ‘blackmailed’.

    At last, the Hazara mourners had to bury their dead and only then did PM Imran visit Quetta to meet them. No words can make us imagine the pain of the mourners. And to even think that they could blackmail anyone — those who are a marginalised community, those who have been relegated to a designated area, those who cannot even roam their area freely, those who cannot even get justice for their dead. There are Hazara families that have no male members left as they have all been target-killed.

    In a 2014 report by the Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Hazara Shias were described as ‘The Walking Dead’. They have continued to suffer at the hands of sectarian terrorist outfits committing genocide of the Hazara community. Thus the state should not have shown apathy towards their demand of meeting the PM. A powerful state cannot put conditions on its marginalised and beleaguered people. It is callous. Period.

    It is also important that the state safeguards the lives of all citizens, especially a marginalised community like the Hazaras. Pakistan made a lot of gains in its fights against terrorism in the last few years. The government should have consolidated those gains and made a proper strategy to counter terrorism and extremism.

    It is also important to empower the local police in Balochistan just like it was done in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. We hope that the Hazaras will get justice as well as protection. They have suffered enough.

  • PM reaches Quetta after burial of slain Hazara miners

    PM reaches Quetta after burial of slain Hazara miners

    After a week-long protest by the Hazara community in the freezing cold of Quetta, Prime Minister Imran Khan has arrived in the provincial capital to meet the families of the slain Hazara coal miners.

    The Hazaras blocked a highway in Quetta and refused to bury their dead after gunmen kidnapped 11 miners in Mach region of Bolan district and slit their throats. The killings sparked protests across Pakistan, with the protesters demanding the PM to visit the heirs of the deceased. However, the PM said he would only visit after the burial of the slain miners and called the protest a “blackmail”.

    Following days of talks, the protesters on Friday night agreed to bury the dead bodies on the condition that the PM will come to Quetta and listen to their demands. The agreement cited by a media outlet says that the Balochistan government will pay Rs1.5 million compensation to the heirs of each martyr as well as provide employment.

    The funeral prayers held in Quetta ahead of the PM’s visit were attended by the Maritimes Minister Ali Zaidi, PM’s aide on overseas Pakistanis Zulfi Bukhari, provincial ministers and others. The deceased were buried in the Hazara graveyard.

    PM IN QUETTA:

    Finally, Imran Khan has reached Quetta. He is accompanied by Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed and other cabinet members. The PM will meet the families of the miners and the religious leaders of the Hazara community. The provincial authorities will also update him on the Mach incident.

    A report by Dawn says that the PM had initially decided to visit the Hazara on the day of the killings; however, he was dissuaded by his aides, including Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed who said that the PM should wait till the situation gets normalised.

  • Hazaras agree to call off protests, bury bodies after PM, COAS promise to visit families

    Hazaras agree to call off protests, bury bodies after PM, COAS promise to visit families

    The week-long protests across Pakistan, especially Quetta, in the wake of the killing of Hazara coal miners in Mach have been called off following the successful negotiations between the government and families of the slain miners.

    Federal Minister Ali Zaidi and National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri said that the government has agreed to accept the demands of the protesters and the army chief and the prime minister will visit the families of the victims after the last rites.

    Geo reported the leader of the Shuhada Action Committee Agha Raza as saying: the protests had been organised for the sake of the heirs of the deceased and were now being called off with their consent. Subsequently, the protesters in Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad also started disbanding late in the night.

    On Friday, PM Imran Khan had drawn flak for saying the Hazara protesters were “blackmailing” him. According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail.

    Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community had been protesting for the past six days in the freezing temperature of Quetta, refusing to bury their dead, in the wake of the murder of 11 miners in Mach, Bolan. On Sunday, 11 miners were kidnapped from their compound and killed by the armed men.

    The attack was claimed by the Islamic State. The protesters had demanded that the PM visit them personally and give them security assurances or they would not end their protest.

  • ‘They need your shoulder to cry on’: Momina Mustehsan requests PM Imran to visit Machh mourners

    ‘They need your shoulder to cry on’: Momina Mustehsan requests PM Imran to visit Machh mourners

    Pakistani singer, Momina Mustehsan has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Machh mourners.

    In a tweet addressed to PM Imran, the Baari singer wrote: “The nation mourns in solidarity with our Hazara kin.”

    “It is crucial to show solidarity at this hour – regardless of conspiracies, those responsible and those trying to politicize,” said Mustehsan, requesting PM Imran to reconsider his stance.

    “Please do not wait for them to bury their deceased, they need your shoulder to cry on,” she added.

    “Honorable Prime Minister, all eyes are on you. The entire nation is well aware of the persecutions faced by Hazara community for far too long,” said Momina further. “They are one of us and we are one of them.”

    Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, PM Imran had urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail. “If they’ll bury their deceased, I will then visit them,” said the PM.

    Earlier, Malala Yousafzai also requested the Prime Minister to visit Machh mourners.

    Meanwhile, the Oscar winner filmmaker, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy criticised PM to give preference to Turkish filmmakers over Machh mourners.

  • PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again asked the Hazara protesters to bury the dead bodies of the coal miners killed in the Mach attack.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, Imran urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail.

    “Anyone will blackmail the prime minister then,” he said, adding that the PDM will also use this ‘tactic’ against him. “This blackmail has also been ongoing for two-and-a-half years,” he said referring to the opposition to his government.

    The PM said he has already told the minority community that he will visit them after the burial. “I am using this platform to say that if you {Hazaras] bury them today, I will go to Quetta today to meet the families of the slain miners,” he added.

    He also termed the protesters decision of not burying the dead bodies ‘illogical’.

    PM Imran’s remarks come after Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community continued to protest for a sixth straight day in freezing temperature, refusing to bury their dead. On Sunday, 11 miners were kidnapped from their compound and killed by the armed men. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State.

    Subsequently, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass, demanding that PM personally visits them and assure them of security.

    Protests are also being held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad against the murder of the minority group members.

  • PM meets Ertuğrul founding team while Mach victim families still wait for him

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has come under criticism for meeting the founding team of hit Turkish drama series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ days after the Mach massacre, victim families of which await him even after the passage of five days.

    Earlier, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass on Sunday after 11 coalminers belonging to the Hazara community were brutally executed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack by terrorists at a residential compound near a mine site in Mach area of Bolan, some 100km away from the provincial capital.

    While the protesters have been seeking the government’s support and assurance for an end to sectarian killings that have once again shot up in the area, they have been demanding that the premier personally meets them.

    Amid delays in PM Imran’s travel to Balochistan, and subsequent criticism by opposition members as well as the general public, it has emerged that he on Thursday met the founding team of the hit Turkish series that has broken viewership records in Pakistan.

    The meeting in Islamabad was also attended by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Kashmir Committee Chairperson Shehryar Afridi and personalities from Turkish and Pakistani film industries.

    The meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of Pakistani entertainment industry.

    The premier, however, did tweet on the Mach massacre once again on Wednesday.

    He had also condemned the incident and assured the grieving community of the government’s support earlier, on Sunday.

  • Bilawal, Maryam to visit families of slain Hazara miners

    Bilawal, Maryam to visit families of slain Hazara miners

    The opposition leadership, including Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, will visit the families of the Hazara coal miners who were killed in a sectarian attack in Mach, Balochistan, last week.

    The families of the slain miners are protesting for the past five days against the killings on Quetta’s Western Bypass. They have refused to bury their dead till the in person security assurances from the prime minister. But the PM has refused to visit, saying he will come to condole with them very soon.

    In a statement, Marriyum Aurangzeb, the PML-N spokesperson, confirmed the visit of Maryam to Quetta on Thursday. She said the PML-N VP will visit the victim families to express condolence on behalf of PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.  She will be accompanied by PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, Khurram Dastgir, Rana Sanaullah, Marriyum Aurangzeb, and former Sindh governor Muhammad Zubair, the statement said.

    On the other hand, Bilawal will visit the Hazara mourners along with Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and members of the Sindh Cabinet. The PPP chief will offer condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the attacked claimed by the Islamic State.

    On Wednesday, the PM had asked Hazaras to bury their loved ones, saying the state was taking measures to put a stop to such attacks against the minority Shia community. He had also blamed a neighbouring country for the attack.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi condemns Hazara killings

    Hamza Ali Abbasi has expressed his sorrow and grief over the horrific attack that took place on Sunday in Balochistan’s Bolan district and left 11 coal miners belonging to the Shia Hazara community dead. The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.

    “The horrifying tragedy inflicted by a few evil men on the Hazara community is so heartbreaking that all I can tell myself to feel some peace is that God is watching everything,” wrote Hamza on social media.

    “May Allah bless the souls of the victims and give courage to the families,” added the actor.

    People from Hazara community are currently protesting at the Western Bypass, Quetta, saying they won’t bury their dead till Prime Minister Imran Khan personally visits them and assures them of security.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran Khan has requested the Hazara community to “please bury your loved one so their souls find peace”, adding that he “shares” their pain and will come to them soon.

  • Another old tweet comes to haunt Imran as 11 Hazara miners killed

    Another old tweet comes to haunt Imran as 11 Hazara miners killed

    After an attack by the Islamic State in Mach, a town in Bolan district of Balochistan, left 11 Hazara coalminers dead on Sunday, another tweet from the past has come back to haunt Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    In 2013, Imran had reacted to the Hazara killings by the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi by holding the state responsible for its inability to stop these killings.

    “Tragic news from Quetta. Condemn Lashkar-e-Jhangiv for its genocidal campaign against Shias, especially Hazaras. Where is the state?” Imran had tweeted.

    However, this time, the massacre has happened during the government of Imran Khan and except a tweet, the PM has done nothing. This has also drawn flak from the opposition that has questioned the actions taken by the government to arrest the culprits.

    Senator Sherry Rehman said that despite the magnitude of this tragedy, the PM or the CM of Balochistan had not visited the families of the victims. “Our PM sat on the ground with half the cabinet members when something similar happened to the Hazaras in the past. What is PM Imran Khan waiting for?” she was quoted by The News as saying. 

    Meanwhile, protests in Quetta against the killings have continued. On Monday, protesters gathered with eight of the bodies in coffins and blocked a bypass on the outskirts of Quetta, demanding justice.

    OLD TWEETS COME TO BITE IMRAN:

    This is not the first time that old tweets of PM Imran Khan have come to haunt him.

    As PM Imran reached China amid Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s (TLP) nationwide protests in 2018, a 2012 tweet of his, went viral. In the tweet, he had criticised the then premier, Yousaf Raza Gillani, for traveling abroad as the country “burned”.

    After train accident in which 24 people were killed, the PM was also reminded of his tweet, wherein he demanded the resignation of the railways minister following a train accident. However, he didn’t ask then railways minister Sheikh Rasheed to resign even though his old tweet had gone viral at the time.