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			<title>Suicide bomber hits Shia Muslim procession in Nigeria: organiser</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/999718/suicide-bomber-hits-shia-muslim-procession-in-nigeria-organiser</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/999718/suicide-bomber-hits-shia-muslim-procession-in-nigeria-organiser#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 27 Nov 15 15:43:27 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Boko Haram has previously been blamed for attacks on Shia Muslims in the region]]>
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				<![CDATA[A suicide bomber on Friday blew himself up among crowds at a Shia Muslim procession outside the north Nigerian city of Kano, in the latest violence to hit the troubled region.

The attack happened in the village of Dakasoye, some 20 kilometres (13 miles) south of the city, during a march by followers of the Islamic Movement of Nigeria.

The group, led by Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, said on its website the blast happened at 2:00 pm (1300 GMT) and that "scores" had been killed.

But there was no official indication of casualties and one of the organisers told AFP: "It's a huge crowd so it's too early to give a precise figure of casualties. We now have the other suspect in custody."

The organiser, who asked to remain anonymous, said the bomber ran into the crowd before he could be spotted and detonated his explosives.

"He was dressed in black like everyone else. His accomplice was initially arrested and confessed they were sent by Boko Haram," he added.

Heavy casualties feared after NE Nigeria blast

"They were part of the young men abducted by Boko Haram in (the Borno state town of) Mubi last year and taken to Sambisa Forest where they were given some military training.

"They were sent to Kano 11 days ago and kept in a house specifically for this attack."

The bomber detonated his explosives after realising his accomplice had been arrested, the organiser added.

Boko Haram, the radical Sunni extremists who want to create a hardline Islamic state in northeast Nigeria, has previously been blamed for attacks on Shia Muslims in the region.

Last November at least 15 people were killed and some 50 others injured in a suicide bombing targeting the Shia Muslim festival of Ashura in the city of Potiskum, in Yobe state.

Ashura marks the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed.

Dozens dead in Nigeria suicide attacks

In April, a suicide bomber targeted a group of Shia Muslims outside an open-air mosque, also in Potiskum. He killed himself and wounded three worshippers.

Boko Haram, whose six-year insurgency has left at least 17,000 dead and made more than 2.6 million homeless, condemns Shias as heretics who should be killed.

The followers were on a "symbolic trek" from Kano to Zaria, in neighbouring Kaduna state, where Zakzaky is based, to mark the 40th day of Ashura.

Their arrival on December 3 is designed to coincide with the gathering of pilgrims at Hussein's tomb in the Iraqi city of Karbala.

Friday's attack came after a female bomber killed eight in the northeastern city of Maiduguri last Sunday and four teenage girls blew themselves up in northern Cameroon on Saturday killing five.

Boko Haram insurgency: Coordinated bombings claim 85 lives in Nigeria

Boko Haram has increasingly used suicide bombers against "soft" civilian targets since the start of a military offensive earlier this year that has pushed them out of controlled territory.

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has given his military commanders until next month to end the conflict but there are fears suicide and bomb attacks may persist.

Senior military, security and intelligence figures on Thursday questioned the deadline and said it was "unrealistic" because of the wave of bombings in the region.]]>
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			<title>Afghanistan condemns beheading of Shia women and child</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/988191/afghanistan-condemns-beheading-of-shia-women-and-child</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/988191/afghanistan-condemns-beheading-of-shia-women-and-child#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 09 Nov 15 15:02:33 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The headless bodies of four men, two women and one child were found in Khak-i-Afghan district of Zabul on Sunday]]>
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				<![CDATA[Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Monday condemned the beheading of a group of Shia Hazaras, including a child, in the southern province of Zabul, the scene of deadly clashes between rival Taliban groups.

Local officials in Zabul province said the headless bodies of four men, two women and one child, who were kidnapped by armed men in October from neighbouring Ghazni province, were found in Khak-i-Afghan district of troubled Zabul on Sunday.

The circumstances surrounding the beheadings are unclear. Some local officials pointed the finger at fighters from the Islamic State group (IS) in the province, but the government does not have control of the area and the claim could not be independently verified.

Fierce clashes between rival Afghan Taliban factions: officials

Groups associated with Islamic State have made growing inroads in Afghanistan this year, attracting fighters and support away from disenchanted members of the Taliban.

"The heartless killing of innocent individuals, especially women and children, has no justification in any religion or creed," Ghani said in a statement.

Ghani, who was "profoundly saddened" by the killing, said he would convene "an extraordinary security meeting to seek ways for tracking down and punishing the perpetrators of this atrocious crime" later on Monday.

Tirah air raids kill 15 militants

The US also issued a statement condemning "yesterday's beheading of seven civilians, including women and a child" through its embassy in Kabul.

Also on Monday Afghan officials said heavy fighting continued between militants from the two groups of Taliban in at least three districts of Zabul province.

The skirmishes, which first erupted on Saturday, involved fighters loyal to the widely-recognised Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour and fighters led by Mansoor Dadullah.

Afghan president revokes land deal with convicted banker

Dadullah is a deputy in the splinter group announced last week by Mohamed Rasool, in the first formal split within the Taliban since the death of long-term leader Mullah Omar.

Islam Gul Seyal, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the fighting in Arghandab, Khak-Afghan and Daichopan districts continued Monday, and had left dozens of militants from both sides killed and injured. The extent of the fighting and more precise figures could not be verified.]]>
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			<title>Saudi Shias hang on to rituals after 5 killed in Islamic State claimed shooting</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974511/saudi-shiites-hang-on-to-rituals-after-5-killed-in-is-claimed-shooting</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/974511/saudi-shiites-hang-on-to-rituals-after-5-killed-in-is-claimed-shooting#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 17 Oct 15 12:09:54 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Mourners vowed to continue commemorations of Ashura even after a gunman killed five people at one of their gatherings]]>
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				<![CDATA[Saudi Shias vowed Saturday to continue commemorations of Ashura, among the holiest occasions for their faith, even after a gunman killed five people at one of their gatherings, in an attack claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Friday's attack in the Qatif area of Eastern Province was the latest in a series of bombings and shootings linked to the Sunni extremist group in Saudi Arabia over the past year.

A suspect with an automatic weapon "started to shoot randomly" at a Shia place of worship in the Saihat area of Qatif city in the evening, an interior ministry spokesperson said in a statement.

Five Saudis, including a woman, were killed and nine others were wounded, he said.

Read: Five killed in Saudi Shia shooting claimed by Islamic State

Police intervened and opened fire, killing the suspect, the spokesperson said without giving details about the attacker, adding that the shooting was being investigated.

A group calling itself IS-Bahrain Province said in a statement that one of its "soldiers", Shughaa al-Dosari, "attacked a Shiite infidel temple with an automatic weapon" in Saihat.

"Infidels will not be safe in the island of Mohammed," it warned.

Most previous attacks in Sunni-dominated Saudi Arabia have targeted the minority Shia community which often complains of marginalisation.

A video, allegedly of the attack, posted on YouTube showed terrified people, among them many children, running frantically for cover inside the place of worship while gun shots could be heard.

Ali al-Bahrani who witnessed the attack said that the gunman was shooting at random as worshippers attended a sermon.

The Ashura commemorations -- which peak late next week -- mark the killing of Imam Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Mohammed, by the army of the Caliph Yazid in 680 AD. That event lies at the heart of Islam's divide into Shia and Sunni sects.

Read: Two dead in attack on Iran Shia worshippers

Jaafar al-Abbad, the uncle of the dead woman, Buthaina al-Abbad, 22, said she died a "martyr for the sake of her beliefs".

"She was about to graduate from university as a doctor. Now she is a martyr, and this is even better," he said.

"People are pouring in to congratulate her parents," said Abbad.

He echoed other Shias saying such attacks "will not deter us from continuing to observe our rituals".

Nasema al-Sada, an activist from Eastern Province, said that since the start of Ashura volunteers have set up checkpoints at the entrances to places of worship in coordination with authorities.

Residents from the city of Dammam, where Shias are not allowed to build places of worship, come to Saihat to attend sermons which take place regularly during Ashura, said Sada.

Read: Gunman opens fire on Saudi Shia gathering TV

Witnesses said the Shiaplace of worship known as a husseiniya and an adjacent mosque were both targeted in Friday's shooting.

"We demand more protection and a law that would criminalise sectarianism," said Sada. "We are living in a place made out of paper, which could catch fire any minute."

"People are angry. And these attacks will only make us more attached to our rituals," she said.

"They can't stop us from practising our beliefs."

Security has been tightened at Shia facilities since May when separate suicide mosque bombings killed 25 people.

Both attacks were claimed by IS, which considers Shia to be heretics.

During Ashura last year, gunmen killed seven Shia worshippers, including children, in the eastern town of Al-Dalwa.

The interior ministry said the unprecedented incident had links to IS -- which has also targeted Saudi police.

Saudi Arabia and its Sunni Gulf neighbours last year joined a United States-led military coalition that is bombing IS in Syria and Iraq where the extremists have set up an Islamic "caliphate".

In July, Saudi Arabia said it had broken up an IS-linked network and arrested more than 430 suspects involved in attacks and plots.

Earlier Friday, Saudi Arabia's top cleric, Grand Mufti Abdulaziz al-Sheikh, branded IS as an enemy of Islam.

"The reality is that they are shedding Muslim blood and destroying Islam. There is no good in them," he said during weekly prayers at the Imam Turki bin Abdullah mosque in Riyadh.]]>
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			<title>Protecting the marginalised</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/924569/protecting-the-marginalised</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/924569/protecting-the-marginalised#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 15 22:00:30 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[The murder of Hazaras and also other marginalised groups is the result of a rapid growth of hatred and violence]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The 13-member Senate committee, headed by the MQM’s Nasreen Jalil, which will soon be visiting Quetta as part of its effort to recommend a new law to protect marginalised groups, like the Hazaras, has a giant task ahead of it. The committee is attempting to find ways to stop the systematic massacre of Hazaras that we have seen over much of the last decade, with 1,456 members of the group — based chiefly in Quetta — killed in targeted bomb or gun attacks over the last seven years. This is a huge percentage, given that there are an estimated 6,000 Hazaras living in Quetta.

The purpose behind the setting up of the committee is of course something we welcome. We desperately need measures to keep marginalised groups in our country safe. They have come under attack more and more frequently as a result of the growth of extremism and the impact it has had across the country. In Quetta, the committee members will meet affected families, Hazara leaders and government officials before devising the draft for a law which will then be discussed with the ministry for law and the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.We wish the senators every success. But it is important to keep in mind that laws cannot in themselves change realities. The fact is that the murder of Hazaras and other marginalised groups is a result of the rapid growth of hatred and violence in a society that has become increasingly fragmented. The fear then is that any law will count for nothing more than a cosmetic measure. This would be an injustice. We need much more than that in order to change the fate of the diverse groups living in our country and make it a place where they enjoy equal rights and equal security as citizens. A sweeping change will be needed to back any law that is legislated. This includes efforts to reverse the tide of violence and to resurrect the tolerance we have lost. Only then will any law have a meaningful effect on the lives of the people under threat.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 23rd, 2015.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Gunmen kill two Shia Muslims in Quetta</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/580346/gunmen-kill-two-shia-muslims-in-quetta</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/580346/gunmen-kill-two-shia-muslims-in-quetta#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 22 Jul 13 12:19:26 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[The attack took place at the busy Iqbal avenue in the southwestern city.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Gunmen killed two people from Pakistan's Shia community on Monday when they opened fire on a taxi in Quetta, which has been gripped by a wave of sectarian bloodshed, police said.

The attack took place at the busy Iqbal avenue in the southwestern city, the capital of Balochistan where the surge in sectarian unrest has killed scores of Shias.

"The driver and a passenger boarding the taxi, both were Shias. They died after unknown gunmen fired at their car," said Fayyaz Sumbal, a senior police official in Quetta.

He said that the two attackers were waiting for the taxi to arrive at the busy avenue and escaped on a motorbike after spraying bullets at the vehicle.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a militant group officially banned by the government in 2002, usually claims responsibility for attacks on Shia Muslims.

Elsewhere in Balochistan, two people were killed and three wounded in a bomb attack on a mosque close to customs offices at the Chaman border crossing to Afghanistan.

A local senior official Ibrahim Baloch gave the death toll for the Chaman bombing and said that a second bomb had been found in the area.

"We suspect that one of the dead had been trying to plant the bomb, but we can't confirm this suspicion at the moment," he said.]]>
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			<title>Shrinking options: Another door closed for the Hazaras</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/579840/shrinking-options-another-door-closed-for-the-hazaras</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/579840/shrinking-options-another-door-closed-for-the-hazaras#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jul 13 05:32:26 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Australian PM says asylum seekers will no longer be resettled within the country’s borders.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd announced on Friday that asylum seekers arriving on Australian shore via boats will no longer be resettled within the country’s borders but will be sent to Papua New Guinea instead.


Not only has the decision created a stir amongst the global humanitarian agencies which view the move as an evasion of responsibility by the Australian government, it also has a direct impact on the Hazara community in Pakistan. Over the past few years, a significant number of Hazaras have sought refuge in Australia.

Not welcome

According to Huma Fauladi, a peace activist in Quetta, every Hazara now wants to leave the country because of the constant threat to life and the deteriorating security condition.

“Nearly 90% of those who migrate to other countries, including Australia, do not have the means to qualify as legal immigrants. Therefore, they risk everything to get on a boat and save their lives,” she says. “But decisions like these [Rudd’s announcement] might hamper even this route for them.”

According to members of the community, the option to resettle in Papua New Guinea as an alternative is not favourable, because of the high prevalence of violence, crime, disease and unstable conditions in that country.

“The decision by the Australian government seems inhuman to me,” says Fazil Hussain Moosavi, a Hazara in Quetta whose nephew and several other close relatives were forced to flee to Australia nearly three years ago. “It is literally a choice between leaving and dying, and even the former seems greatly threatening now.”

Moosavi says most migrants chose Australia despite the rough journey because assimilation and acceptance was easier there, compared to other countries.

‘No place to go’

Zohra Yousuf, chairperson for the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), has also termed the decision as “another door closed” for Pakistani Hazaras.

“It should be humiliating for the Pakistani government that a community feels so unsafe in their own country that they put their lives at risk to migrate to other places,” she exclaims. “And now, with this recent stance by the Australian government, there will really be no place left for the Hazaras to go.”

Yousuf emphasises, quite strongly, the need for governments across the globe to be more sympathetic to refugees. While individual cases, like Rimsha Masih, the Christian girl accused of blasphemy who later sought refuge in Canada, are dealt with more generously, things become complicated when entire communities are involved.

Although no action on this announcement had been taken by the HRCP so far, the organisation may look into it very soon. However, Yousuf says she hopes Canberra will soften its stance before the need for action truly arises.

Rudd’s eyes on upcoming poll

Although Rudd claims that the decision was taken to ensure border security and discourage people from making the dangerous journey to Australia by boat, many today are accusing the premier of political point-scoring over the issue of asylum, which remains one of the key issues in the upcoming Australian elections.

Statistics reveal that nearly 600 deaths have been caused due to accidents at sea since 2009. According to local website Hazara.net, nearly 300 Pakistanis have lost their lives trying to get to Australia by boat and the unofficial death toll is predicted to be much higher.

Australia, which hosts 0.3% of the world’s refugee population, receives its largest influx of asylum seekers from countries like Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iraq, Iran and Bangladesh. According to a report in The Sydney Morning Herald, the number of Afghans arriving via boats on Australian shores has risen by 79 per cent to 3, 079, while the number of Pakistanis has jumped by 84 per cent to 1, 512 over the last year.


Published in The Express Tribune, June 21st, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Hazara political parties threaten civil disobedience against targeted killings</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/577665/hazara-political-parties-threaten-civil-disobedience-against-targeted-killings</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/577665/hazara-political-parties-threaten-civil-disobedience-against-targeted-killings#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 16 Jul 13 15:43:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mohammad.zafar]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[A complete shutter down strike was observed on Tuesday in parts of the provincial capital.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Hazara political parties have threatened a civil disobedience movement against the targeted killing of their community members, the latest episode of which saw four Hazaras being shot dead on Monday evening.

A complete shutter down strike was observed on Tuesday in parts of the provincial capital against Monday's killings on Masjid road. All major shops and markets remained closed on Toghi Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Alamdar Road, MecChongi road and their adjoining areas.

Political leaders of the Hazara community have held state institutions responsible for the attack.

At the Quetta Press Club, chiefs of the various Hazara political and rights groups gathered to address a press conference including Hazara Political Workers’ chief Muhammad Tahir Khan Hazara, Hazara Jirga chief Qayyum Chengaizi, president of the Shia Conference Daud Agha and Member Provincial Assembly Agha Muhammad.

They demanded an immediate halt to the targeted killing of Hazara youngsters.

“If this series does not stop, we will jam the entire city with other sympathising parties,” they said, adding that the killers of the four persons on Masjid Road were also also responsible for the killing of three at Khud-e-Dad Chowk.

They said that the attacks had been carried out as part of a conspiracy to promote sectarian violence in the city.

The Hazara leaders said that they were out of ideas for where they could go to secure their constitutional and human rights, adding that thousands of Hazara youngsters have been killed during the past few years.

“State institutions are directly involved in our massacre,” they alleged and added that instead of providing them protection, Hazaras were being pushed against the wall.

With the stores closed, the streets appeared barren. Stringent measures of security were adopted by the government and law enforcement agencies including police, Frontier Corps (FC) and the Anti Terrorist Force patrolled the area.]]>
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			<title>Four Hazara traders shot dead, two injured</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/577229/4-people-die-in-quetta-firing</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/577229/4-people-die-in-quetta-firing#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 15 Jul 13 14:55:00 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Raza Hussain, whose vehicle was fired at was the owner of an electronics shop in the area.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in the Masjid Road area of Quetta city on Monday, killing four people from the Shia community, police said.

Two passers-by were also seriously wounded.

"All the four victims were Shia," Fayyaz Sumbal, a senior police official in Quetta told media, adding that the attackers fled the scene after the shooting.

Rahim Khan, another police official in Quetta, confirmed the incident and said that the attackers came in a white-coloured car and sprayed bullets on the victims who were travelling in another vehicle.

"Apparently it was a sectarian attack," Khan said.

The CCPO said that there is shortage of police personnel and that police officials cannot be deployed for every individual.

The dead bodies were shifted to a Civil Hospital Quetta while police officials cordoned off the area for further investigation.

"The firing spread panic in the area and the few shops that were then open, closed down," said Express News corresspondent Mehmood.

"Raza Hussain, whose vehicle was fired at was the owner of an electronics shop in the area and was going home after closing shop," reported Mehmood, adding that the incident took place shortly before Iftar.

The other three deceased were identified as Ali Raza, Idress and Raza Muhammad while Syed Faizul Haq and Taqi Muhammad were injured.

Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) condemned the killing and announced a shutter down strike for Tuesday to protest against the incident.

Balochistan Shia Conference, Majlis Wadat-ul-Muslimeen and other Shia organizations have announced three days of mourning in protest.

A number of protesters rushed to the Civil Hospital Quetta after the incident and blocked the Jinnah Road by placing barricades.

Governor Balochistan Muhammad Khan Achakzai and Chief Minister Balochistan Dr Abdul Malik Baloch strongly condemned the incident and directed authorities concerned for early arrest of perpetrators involved in the incident.

HDP District Secretary Bostan Ali while talking to The Express Tribune condemned the killing of Hazara community.

Majlis Wadat-ul-Muslimeen MPA Sayed Muhamamd Raza appealed to the government to take action against sectarian attacks.]]>
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			<title>This is not a Test</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/573359/this-is-not-a-test</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/573359/this-is-not-a-test#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 06 Jul 13 19:21:36 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[saroop.ijaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=573359</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hazara killing is not only the Balochistan government’s problem. It is everyone’s problem.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The prime minister said that the most recent carnage in Hazara Town is a “test case”. This is better than nothing. However, it makes one wonder what are we testing for? Testing for limits of human indifference to slaughter? What is the threshold that will make us snap? What do these high powered committees look for? The condemnation of the “perpetrators” comes uniformly from all quarters. Prompt First Investigation Report is registered against “unknown” terrorists. What cruel charade is this? Does everyone in power miss the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) taking responsibility gloatingly and warning of another attack soon, do they miss it every time? The killing of the Hazara is an abstract distant phenomenon to Pakistan proper; the murdered nothing but a statistic, the murderer some disembodied, amorphous entity. The Hazara graveyard has a picture on every grave; these beautiful people have been killed by sectarian fanatics who we know of. This is not a test, this is as real as it gets.

What is the position of the “chatty” crowd on the systematic murdering spree of the Hazara? Is the entire Hazara population an expert group of drone operators? Are the Hazara the frontline regiment of “imperialism” in “America’s War on Terror”? Is it possible, that the LeJ is just irritated at the empire and this violence is an expression of political dissent? Can they be pacified by an attentive ear, handshake and a hug? Should action be taken against them only when each and every child slow on uptake in the entire country agrees that something, perhaps, needs to be done? Utterly revolting and disgusting line of reasoning and questioning, is it not? In the alternate, there is a simpler and truer explanation. The LeJ is group of sectarian murderous brutes. And a simpler though not easy solution; that decisive force be used against them.

We are supposed to be careful in language; calling them “brutes” has not enough nuance of the conflict and might even hurt fragile, intellectual and apologetic sensibilities. You know, nobody should be “demonised”, etc. Not even people who kill three-year-old kids and attack vans full of girl medical students. Nope, they need to be “understood”. However, we do demonise people. We demonise the Hazara. Nelson Mandela is not dead yet. His spirit is certainly dead in Quetta. Some time ago, there was a news item about public transport operators refusing to allow Hazara passengers to board since that would make the vehicles targets, schools refusing admission, nobody willing to rent houses, etc. How does this not bother us, make us freeze? The most frequently targeted place in Quetta is called “Hazara” Town, and it is largely what the name suggests, a housing settlement full of Hazaras. “Apartheid” is not a term to be used lightly ever, yet the lesson taught by it runs the risk of becoming meaningless if it is not used for examples like these.

For everyone who has not been to Hazara Town and wants to engage in the “complex” debate over whether or not our state is complicit or, at least, looks the other way, let someone who has been there draw a sketch with markings of the FC check posts and the places of attacks. It is not much of a debate. However, it does not matter. Why tamper with a purely intellectual pursuit by bringing in trivial specifics like the distance of a few feet between FC check posts and targeted killing sites, again and again. How a thousand kilogrammes of explosives are stealthy enough to pass through these check posts, again and again. Let us keep it academic, shall we, US war on terror, drones, imperialism, corruption, national consensus, etc. Let us hope that there are still a few Hazaras alive to be grateful if and when we reach the carefully thought out consensus that something needs to be done to protect them.

Coming back to names, the “Jhangvi” in Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, perhaps, does not get enough attention. The parent organisation of the LeJ, the Sipah-e-Sahaba (SSP) (now ASWJ) was formed at Jhang, Punjab, in the 1980s. The LeJ faction split because the SSP was not “militant enough”. Which is saying something by the way, since the SSP did not exactly comprise tree-hugging pacifists either. The difference was on strategy, not on ideology. The ideology was, and is, that Shias should be eliminated. The long overdue operation has to simultaneously begin in Balochistan and Punjab, also dismantling the ideological hub. There is no consensus needed. Anyone who does not agree with the idea of an operation against the sectarian organisations murdering the Hazara is someone you don’t want to agree with in any event.

Much has been said about the proper use of the term “genocide” and if it is applicable to the Hazara killing. The question is an important but theoretical one with quibbles on international law definitions. Practically, it is instructive to read Samantha Power’s chillingly brilliant essay, “Bystanders to Genocide” on the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda. To quote Power, “A determination of genocide turns not on the numbers killed, which is always difficult to ascertain at a time of crisis, but on the perpetrators’ intent.” The perpetrators’ intent in the case of the Hazara can only be missed by someone who is trying really, really hard to miss it.

The mention of genocide reminds of the phrase, now hollowed by breach “Nie Wieder” (Never Again). It is important to recall it as we pass through another July 5th, the date when that psychopath Ziaul Haq illegally took over. One lesson from the Zia era has been that islands of intolerance and hate don’t work; they spill over, across national and provincial lines. During his reign, amongst innumerable heinous acts, one was the patronising of the sectarian terrorists by the state. Mian Nawaz Sharif was Zia’s prodigy. Once upon a time, long before the “War on Terror” and invention of drones, Mian Sahib was the chief minister of Punjab where these outfits were gaining initial strength. Mian Sahib knows their history all too well. Well enough to know that the Hazara killing is not only the Balochistan government’s problem. It is everyone’s problem. We are repeatedly told that Mian Sahib is his own man now. We want to believe that. Yet, he will still have to prove it. The time for consensus building and all parties’ conferences on dealing with sectarian terrorism is long gone. Either the security establishment is compelled to change its world view and the hobnobbing with these medievalists or there is a showdown. Thousands of Hazara lives are certainly worth having that confrontation. Our notion of State and Country, it seems, is now confined to the security establishment. So to our Guardians, Tujh ko kitnon ka lahu chahiye ae arz-e-watan, jo teray aariz-e-bayrung ko gulnaar karen, kitnee aahon say kalejaa tera thunda ho gaa, kitnay aansoo teray sehraaon ko gulzaar karen.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 7th, 2013.

Like Opinion &amp; Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.]]>
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			<title>Balochistan crisis: Nawaz directs ISI, IB to catch Hazara town bombers</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571395/hazara-tragedy-nawaz-sharif-visits-quetta-to-discuss-security-situation</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/571395/hazara-tragedy-nawaz-sharif-visits-quetta-to-discuss-security-situation#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 02 Jul 13 13:26:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=571395</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Nawaz Sharif assures provincial government of centre's support in maintaining law and order in Balochistan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday said that he has directed law enforcement agencies including the ISI and the Intelligence Bureau to treat Sunday’s bombing as a test case and catch the culprits.

Addressing a combined press conference after a day of meetings with the provincial government and law enforcing agencies in Quetta, the premier said that the acts of violence in the province were not acceptable anymore.

“This [attacks] is not acceptable for the provincial government, nor for the federal government.”

Nawaz said the governor, the chief minister, interior minister and heads of security forces including the intelligence services Inter-services intelligence and the intelligence bureau were present in their meetings.

“The administration here needs to bring improvement in their governance and the authorities in police need to realise their duty.”

Nawaz said that Quetta was a small city of around 20 lanes and that it should not be too hard to secure such a place.

Assuring the Balochistan chief minister Abdul Malik of all support from the federal government, including the best police officers in the country, Nawaz expressed his determination to combat terrorism.

“If we keep fighting them in such a determined manner, we will manage to end the terrorism.”

The prime minister said that he will keep visiting the province to keep an eye on progress made.

Prime Minister has also constituted a task force to maintain law and order in Balochistan.

Addressing a high level meeting in Quetta on Tuesday evening‚ he directed all the security agencies to ensure close coordination to curb terrorism.

Earlier in the day, prime minister Nawaz Sharif reached Quetta to discuss the security condition of the city in the aftermath of the attack on the Hazara community, Express News reported on Tuesday.

Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Mir Hasil Bizenjo accompanied the premiere on his one-day visit.

On reaching Quetta, Sharif was taken to the governor house, where he headed a high level meeting on the law and order situation.

The governor, chief minister Balochistan, Inspector General Police, IGFC and interior secretary were also present in the meeting.

The prime minister will also visit the injured of the recent Hazara Town blast getting treatment in Combined Military Hospital (CMH).

On Sunday, a suicide bomber detonated the explosives strapped to his body amid a crowd of people near an Imambargah in Hazara Town of Quetta shortly after Maghrib prayers.

At least 29 people, among them nine women and three children, were killed and 65 injured, nearly half of them critically.

A banned sectarian extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), which has carried out most attacks on the Hazara community, claimed credit for Sunday’s bombing in a phone call to media offices in Quetta.]]>
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			<title>Suicide attack at Shia madrassa kills 15 in Peshawar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/566372/4-injured-in-peshawar-blast</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/566372/4-injured-in-peshawar-blast#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 21 Jun 13 08:15:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=566372</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The attack at Hussaini Madrassa left 22 injured.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A suicide bomber blew himself up in Gulshan Colony, Peshawar, killing 15 and leaving 22 injured, Express News reported on Friday. 

The Hussaini Madrassa in the area was the target of the blast. The interior of the madrassa was destroyed. There were around 40 people inside the madrassa at the time of the blast.

The madrassa has the capacity to hold up to 80 people. People inside the madrassa were preparing for Friday prayers at the time of the blast.

A rescue operation was conducted. The injured were shifted to a nearby local hospital and security forces sealed the affected areas.

President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain condemned the attack.

Police sources said the bomber was shot at when he tried to enter the madrassa through the main entrance along with his two accomplices. The bomber managed to enter the madrassa through a second gate and blow himself up, while the other two escaped. The bomber reportedly intended to reach the prayer leader, however, the leader wasn't present at the scene.

The bomber was reportedly 22 years old. Police officials gathered body parts for further investigation.

The Bomb Disposal Squad said that the bomber's vest was packed with six kilogrammes of explosives.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.

The Jafri Alliance announced a three day mourning against the attack.]]>
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			<title>Targeted killing: Van driver killed in sectarian violence</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/565638/targeted-killing-van-driver-killed-in-sectarian-violence</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/565638/targeted-killing-van-driver-killed-in-sectarian-violence#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 20 Jun 13 05:11:03 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=565638</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[MQM supporter, Farhan Ismail, was found dead near Lyari River, Machar Colony.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Nine people, including a member of the Shia community and two Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) supporters, were killed in different acts of violence in the city on Wednesday.


Imran Abbas Zaidi, 30, a van driver by profession, was shot dead by two armed motorcyclists when he was picking up children to drop them off to their schools.  “A total of six bullets were shot, two hit his head and the other four misfired,” explained DSP Chaudhry Akhtar. “They (culprits) took advantage of the speed breaker and attacked him when the victim slowed down his vehicle.”

The incident happened in the North Karachi area. Police said that the man belonged to the Shia community. There were two students on the back seats of the van at the time of the incident but they were unhurt.

MQM’s supporter Irfan Qasim, 29, a rickshaw driver, was found dead in Lyari.

A man belonging to the Kutchi community was killed in Bihar Colony. Kashif Qadir was sitting near his home when motorcyclists shot him.

A student of intermediate and an MQM supporter, Farhan Ismail, was found dead near Lyari River, Machar Colony.

In the Surjani locality, Rizwana Begum was found dead inside her house in Hassan Brohi Goth. Qaiser Iqbal was shot dead and his brother was wounded during a robbery attempt in their house in Bhittai Colony, Ibrahim Hyderi. Police arrested the alleged robber, Khalid.

Another man, Raja Pervez, was found dead in Saleh Mohammad Goth.

Meanwhile, two men were found dead separately from Docks and Pak Colony areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 20th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Sectarian violence: Police arrest Kauser Saqlain's killer in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/563577/sectarian-violence-police-arrest-kauser-saqlains-killer-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/563577/sectarian-violence-police-arrest-kauser-saqlains-killer-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 15 Jun 13 09:54:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=563577</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The arrested man is believed to be a member of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Police in Karachi have arrested the killer of senior lawyer and noted ‘Zakir’, Kauser Saqlain, and his two sons, Express News reported on Saturday.

The man, identified as Ghaniur Rehman, was arrested from the Hawkes Bay area. He is believed to be a member of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Police also recovered a TT pistol from him.

The Sindh High Court’s 45-year-old lawyer was on his way to Ghulaman-e-Abbas School on Mauripur road where his sons, 15-year-old Own Abbas and 12-year-old Mohammad Abbas, were studying. The victims were shot multiple times in their heads and chests. The brothers died on the spot while their father succumbed to injuries at the Civil hospital.]]>
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			<title>Targeting education: Educationist Azfar Rizvi gunned down in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/557094/targeting-education-professor-azfar-rizvi-gunned-down-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/557094/targeting-education-professor-azfar-rizvi-gunned-down-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 31 May 13 17:27:07 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[noman.ahmed]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=557094</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Rizvi, CEO of Dhaka Group of Educational Institutions, was in his car near Karimabad when he was attacked.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Educationist Syed Azfar Rizvi was shot dead near Café Student in Karimabad by unknown armed assailants on Friday evening.

Rizivi was in his car in his car along with his when unidentified assailants riding a motorcycle shot at him. He received fatal injuries while his driver was critically injured. They were shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where the driver succumbed to his injuries.

Rizvi was head of the Dhaka Group of Educational Institutions and served as an honorary secretary of Anjuman-e-Taraqqi-e-Urdu Pakistan.

District Central SSP Amir Farooqui told The Express Tribune that Rizvi along with the driver Abdul Ghaffar, were returning home from the Karimabad branch of the Dhaka Coaching Centre's chain when two assailants on a motorcycle ambushed his car near Cafe Student.

Earlier on Friday, he had sent an article to the media in which he supported the MQM chief Altaf Hussain's recent party reorganisation. He had also urged for education to be given importance as a way forward.

Sindh chief minister Qaim Ali Shah condemned the attack and has ordered an inquiry into the matter.]]>
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			<title>Shia leader injured in targeted attack in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/541277/shia-leader-injured-in-targeted-attack-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/541277/shia-leader-injured-in-targeted-attack-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 27 Apr 13 12:07:21 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=541277</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Syed Allama Baqir Zaidi injured, his guard succumbs to injuries.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Leader of the Jafaria Alliance, Syed Allama Baqir Zaidi, was injured when unidentified gunmen opened fire at his car in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi on Saturday, reported Express News.

Zaidi’s guard, who was also injured in the incident, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

Attacks targeting Shia families have been on the rise since the start of 2013. Shia community members have been frequently targeted in Karachi by extremists.

Last month, poet and former principal of Liaquatabad College Professor, Sibte Jafar, was also shot dead in the Liaquatabad area.

At least six people were killed in the city in separate incidents during the day.]]>
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			<title>Dangerous journey</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/534666/dangerous-journey</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/534666/dangerous-journey#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 12 Apr 13 17:02:13 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=534666</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Many Hazaras want to seek asylum in Australia, at whatever the cost; 300 Hazara have died trying to get there.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Ninety-four Hazaras left Balochistan in June 2012 to seek asylum in Australia and were never heard from until it emerged that most of them drowned on a ship that was illegally transporting them from Indonesia to Australia. This was revealed by three of the traffickers who were recently arrested by the FIA in Islamabad, after families of the missing lodged a complaint last year with the Anti-Human Trafficking Circle. While the arrests and confession are unlikely to provide relief to the families who had hoped against hope for some news of a miracle, the only closure they can gain is to see those responsible for the deaths locked up behind bars. Arresting three suspects is one step but it must go all the way to the top and include all the players that make human trafficking the complex and dangerous web that it is, in which officials often turn a blind eye because they are known to be involved, too. It is not about creating laws to stop human trafficking — though, of course, that is necessary; it is about showing a steely will towards implementing them.

In the above case, the suspects confessed that 152 people were aboard a ship that could only accommodate 60. This is always the case the world over with people escaping poverty or persecution in their home countries. The real tragedy is that this will not deter other Hazaras from trying to attempt escaping gruesome conditions. This year has seen eight attacks against the Hazaras in which over 200 have been killed. Many Hazaras want to seek asylum in Australia, at whatever the cost; 300 Hazara have died trying to get there, according to an Australian paper quoting a Hazara website. The blame falls squarely on the state for failing to provide basic security to citizens who then resort to whatever means they can acquire — through traffickers, for example — for a better life that should be made available in their own country. Pakistan has failed the Hazaras so far but has an opportunity to turn things around should its next government choose to do so.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 13th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Professor Sibte Jafar’s murder: Two LeJ suspects arrested</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/530570/professor-sibte-jafars-murder-two-lej-suspects-arrested</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/530570/professor-sibte-jafars-murder-two-lej-suspects-arrested#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 13 12:43:15 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=530570</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police recovers arms, explosives from the suspects.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Police arrested two suspects involved the murder of Professor Syed Sibte Jafar Zaidi from the Surjani Town area of Karachi on Wednesday, reported Express News.

The suspects, who belong to the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), were allegedly involved in several other incidents of targeted killings.

Police also recovered arms and explosives from the suspects.

Professor Sibte Jafar was the principal of Liaquatabad College and a renowned sozkhwan. He was shot dead by unidentified men on March 18 near Liaquatabad College.

The deceased was a lawyer, renowned poet, educationist and a scholar.

Earlier during the day, the police also claimed of arresting two suspects involved in the murder of Lyari gang war leader Arshad Pappu during a raid.]]>
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			<title>Sectarian violence: Yet another Shia trader shot dead</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/530311/sectarian-violence-yet-another-shia-trader-shot-dead</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/530311/sectarian-violence-yet-another-shia-trader-shot-dead#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 03 Apr 13 00:37:30 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=530311</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zulqarnain, nicknamed Prince, was attacked near his shop.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Another Shia shopkeeper was gunned down on Tuesday afternoon. Zulqarnain Haider was near his shop in Dora Chowk, Phandu Road when he was killed.

Also known as Prince, Haider, a resident of Kachi Mohallah, was at Dora Chowk when unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at him. He was grievously injured. Haider was rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police told The Express Tribune Zulqarnain belonged to a Shia family and they believed his murder was an incident of target killing.

Attacks making marks of those from Shia families have been on the rise since the start of 2013.



On January 9, Dr Riaz Hussain was shot dead outside his clinic in Dabgari Gardens. This was followed by the death of Dr Shah Nawaz Ali on January 22. He was attacked inside his clinic in Saddar.

On February 8, Advocate Malik Jarar Hussain was shot dead on Gulbahar Road while on his way to drop his children to school.

The targeted attack on Akbar Ali, a trader in Kochi Bazaar, on March 2 was the 11th such attack over the preceding two months. More have died in similar incidents since.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>‘Sectarian killing’: Govt official gunned down in Gulberg</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/527416/sectarian-killing-govt-official-gunned-down-in-gulberg</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/527416/sectarian-killing-govt-official-gunned-down-in-gulberg#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Mar 13 21:32:26 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[riaz.ahmad]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=527416</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Khawaja Imran Ali was with his son when the attackers opened fire at their car.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Khawaja Imran Ali, a sub-division officer of Town II, was killed and his son Raza Ali critically injured after unidentified men on a motorcycle opened fire at them in Izzat Khan Chowk, Gulberg on Wednesday.


Raza told the police while being treated in hospital that his father was killed on the spot and  the culprits managed to escape.

The police said the attack had sectarian motives as Khawaja belonged to a Shia family.

On February 8, senior Shia lawyer Advocate Malik Jarar Hussain was shot dead on Gulbahar Road while on his way to drop his children to school. He was also a council member and former vice-chairperson of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chapter. The killers have not yet been arrested.

Kidnapping case 

Sarfarz Hussain Jafri was kidnapped from Rahatabad area in the limits of Tehkal police station on Wednesday. Jafri too, belonged to a Shia family.

“The man was on a morning walk in Rahatabad near his house when he was kidnapped by armed men in an Alto,” said a police official, adding the police believed it was an act of sectarian violence.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 28th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Target killing: Shia advocate gunned down</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/522871/target-killing-shia-advocate-gunned-down</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/522871/target-killing-shia-advocate-gunned-down#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 19 Mar 13 05:16:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=522871</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Zaheer Abbas was en route on a motorcycle along with his assistant.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A Shia lawyer was gunned down by unidentified men in Pahripura on Monday morning.

The police said Advocate Syed Zaheer Abbas, a resident of Wadpaga, was on a motorcycle with his assistant Syed Ghulam Nabi Shah when two armed motorcyclists opened fire on them. The attackers escaped after the assault.

“They sprayed bullets at the two men, killing Zaheer Abbas, and leaving his assistant seriously injured,” said a police official. Syed Ghulam Nabi Shah was shifted to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) where his condition was said to be critical, he added.

“Both the advocate and his assistant belong to Shia families, which is why they have been attacked,” claimed the police official, adding that an FIR has been registered.

Since the start of 2013, a number of Shia doctors, students and traders have been killed in the city. Such target killings continue unabated despite repeated protests by the beleaguered community.

On January 19, Judge Ihtisham Ali was left seriously injured when motorcyclists attacked his car in Hayatabad. Dr Riaz Hussain, Dr Shahnawaz Akhunzada and trader Nawazish Ali were not fortunate enough to escape the respective attacks alive.



On March 3, Akbar Ali was gunned down in his shop in Kochi Bazaar while his friend, Muktar Hussain, was also injured. Ali died en route to the LRH. Hours later, the Imamia Coordination Council called a protest in which at least 200 people marched from Imambargah Adil Baig Kucha Risaldar towards Qissa Khwaani Bazaar. Aggrieved participants held a sit-in and placed the deceased’s body on the main thoroughfare.

Former policeman killed 

A former police and FIA official, Malik Riaz, was gunned down in what appeared to be another sectarian attack in Paharpur area of Dera Ismail Khan.  An official of Paharpur police station said the incident took place on Monday afternoon when two unidentified armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire at the former FIA assistant director in Paharpur city. He said Riaz was standing outside his house when the assailants opened fire.

The official said he was a retired FIA official, but further details could not be confirmed about the motive behind his murder because no FIR had been registered till the filing of this report. “The incident seems to be a sectarian attack,” he added.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Professor gunned down in Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/522628/professor-gunned-down-in-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/522628/professor-gunned-down-in-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 18 Mar 13 09:49:40 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=522628</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Unidentified armed men opened fire at Jafar while he was riding his motorbike in the Liaquatabad area.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Poet and former principal of Liaquatabad College Professor Sibte Jafar was shot dead in Karachi on Monday, Express News reported.

According to initial details, unidentified armed men opened fire at Jafar while he was commuting through the Liaquatabad area on his motorbike.

Jafar’s body was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

Police have started its investigation and more security personnel were summoned to keep the security situation in the area under control.

Evidence collected from the crime scene suggested that a 9mm pistol was used in the crime.

In the immediate aftermath of Professor Jafar's murder, professors and lecturers in the province have announced a boycott of educational activities on Tuesday.

Apart from his educational duties, Professor Jafar was well known for his sozkhwani and marsia recitals. He was also known for his poetry.

It has not been confirmed as yet if this was a sectarian attack.

The Shia Ulema council has announced three days of mourning and demanded that the killers be arrested immediately.

Shia community members have been targeted in the city by extremists. Recently, at least 50 people were killed in a terrorist attack in a Shia-neighbourhood of Abbas Town.]]>
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			<title>Candle-lit vigil: Showing solidarity with the victims of Hazara genocide</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/516416/candle-lit-vigil-showing-solidarity-with-the-victims-of-hazara-genocide</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/516416/candle-lit-vigil-showing-solidarity-with-the-victims-of-hazara-genocide#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 13 23:14:18 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=516416</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Human rights activists and civil society condemn the brutal killings.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[To condemn ongoing incidents of genocide of Shia Hazara community in different parts of the country, human rights activists and civil society members held a vigil here on Tuesday. They paid tribute to the victims of a recent incident at Abbas Town in Karachi.


They held placards and chanted slogans against the government and its ignorance towards the matter.

Donning a white shirt with the word ‘Genocide’ marked in red, Sajjad Hussain, a student of peace and conflict studies at the National Defense University, said that the society has become indifferent and insensitive towards such atrocities. He said it is frustrating to see innocent people die. “First they targeted Ahmedis and now Shias” he added.

Sara Ahmed, a civil society member, said that the trend of target killing was not controlled, it might result in a civil war. “The society will only react if it happens to them, only then their eyes will open,” she said.

Captain Mohammad Ali who had come from Quetta, said that the situation of the Hazara community was aggravating by the day. He added that the people are not angered with the government but with those who are protecting the culprits. “We have registered our protest at all levels - from police the president. But unfortunately we are still being threatened.”



Hassan Ali, another protester, said, “My ancestors are buried in Hazara, how can I and others like myself, move away from our community. We have no option but to keep on living here.”

Furthermore, the civil society reinstated that the government as well as political leadership of the country needs to show the political will, commitment and maturity to fight the menace of terrorism, extremism and sectarianism beyond the party lines.

The government, political parties and the parliament need to act now in unison to find the long term and sustainable solution to this alarming situation. In 2013 alone, more than 250 innocent citizens have been mass murdered and over 1,000 have been injured, many of whom were women and children.

The participants included representatives of Insani Huqooq Ithehad Network, Hazara for Humanity, Pakistan Youth Alliance, FADAN and Dostiyan.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Abbas Town attack: Malik lays blame for Karachi blast on Punjab govt</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/516527/abbas-town-attack-malik-lays-blame-for-karachi-blast-on-punjab-govt</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/516527/abbas-town-attack-malik-lays-blame-for-karachi-blast-on-punjab-govt#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 05 Mar 13 21:53:48 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[qamar.zaman]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=516527</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[During NA session, interior minister asks PML-N-led provincial govt to cooperate in bringing culprits to book.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Interior Minister Rehman Malik has pinned the blame for Karachi’s Abbas Town attack on the Punjab government for what he called its “inaction” against banned organisations, particularly Lashkhar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).


Addressing a National Assembly session, Malik also vowed to answer each question related to the blast in the Karachi locality, which left around 50 people dead. “Let’s have a question-answer session. I will present a fact sheet on Wednesday (today) on the incident and ask you to be my judge,” Malik said. The house had suspended the agenda of the day to exclusively discuss the issue on the request of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Initially, the minister pointed a finger at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for not taking action against the LeJ but later announced, “We should talk about collective responsibility instead of indulging in blame games.”

He informed the house that four suspects, including three from the LeJ, had been arrested and their statements would reveal everything regarding the incident. “We are going to seal offices of the LeJ and all other banned organisations,” he said, requesting the Punjab government to cooperate in this regard. “Let’s join hands. Let’s sit together and let’s go above politics,” he added.

The minister said that the attacks in Quetta and Karachi were planned, adding that some forces had joined the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to destabilise the country and democracy. During the first day of debate, members from almost every political party highlighted the point that banned organisations were operating freely in the country. The PML-N, on the other hand, focused on the poor performance of the government.



Maulvi Asmatullah from Balochistan pointed out an unusual cause for the worsening law and order situation in the country: he termed all other speeches [of MNAs] against the teachings of Islam and said, “This is God’s wrath and the result of running the country with secularism.”

“Enforce the Islamic system in the country and all issues will die down,” he added.

Earlier, Waseem Akhter of the MQM recalled his party chief Altaf Hussain’s warning of Talibanisation in Karachi and said “free movement of banned organisation in provinces gives the message that they were being sponsored by the state.”

Akhter censured Sindh chief minister’s announcement of Rs1.5 million in compensation for victims’ families. “Is this the solution to the problem?”

During his speech, some PPP women MNAs, sitting at the back, were calling out, “Who is enjoying life in London?”

Khawaja Asif of the PML-N said that the government had spent five years in apathy and should at least repent over what is happening in its last 10 days of rule. “Law enforcers of Karachi have become part of the problem,” he added.

Noor Alam Khan of the PPP said that some Punjab government ministers had links with banned organisation leaders, implying that it was equally responsible for the violence sweeping the country.

“Leave the blame game and give some suggestions,” said Deputy Speaker Faisal Karim Kundi responding to Khan.

Himayatullah Miyar of the ANP said that law enforcement agencies know everything about terrorist organisations.

“Ask generals to come to this house and we will question them,” he added.

MNAs Sardar Bahadur Sehar and Sheikh Waqas Akram also questioned the Punjab government about its inaction against terrorists in the province.

“This is a collective failure and Interior Minister Rehman Malik alone is not responsible,” said Akram.


Published in The Express Tribune, March 6th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Questioning officials: CJ takes suo motu notice of Abbas Town blasts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515985/questioning-officials-cj-takes-suo-motu-notice-of-abbas-town-blasts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515985/questioning-officials-cj-takes-suo-motu-notice-of-abbas-town-blasts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 22:27:51 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515985</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The chief justice directed the Sindh officials to file a comprehensive report.]]>
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			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry stepped up pressure on the government on Monday by taking suo motu notice of the bomb blasts in Abbas Town, Karachi.


The terrorist strike killed 45 people and injured another 150 on Sunday. “The state of Pakistan and provincial government of Sindh have apparently failed to protect the life and property of citizens in Karachi,” the chief justice said in his short order Monday evening.

A press release issued by the Supreme Court registrar said that the chief justice took notice of the incident on the basis of an official note containing clippings from different newspapers. The note said that in the aftermath of, and following the pattern of two consecutive bomb blasts in Quetta, the shocking March 3 carnage should serve as an eye-opener. The note highlighted media reports about the lack of security and law enforcement agencies, for search and rescue operations, due to their prior engagement at a private function, where they were busy providing security for senior government functionaries.

Shedding light on the tense situation in Karachi, the note said that the Shias took to the streets after the attacks and chanted slogans against the government, demanding the immediate arrest of the killers.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry directed the provincial police officer and Advocate General Sindh to appear before the apex court’s Karachi registry on March 6.

The chief justice directed the Sindh officials to file a comprehensive report. The registrar’s note called the Abbas Town bombings a “major disaster,” resulting in an enormous loss of life and destruction to property.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Abbas Town blasts: Mourners attacked</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515963/mourners-attacked</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515963/mourners-attacked#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 22:22:22 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[faraz.khan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515963</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Protesters allege Rangers opened fire on the crowd.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Karachi writhed in pain on Monday as scores of sobbing families buried their loved ones following Sunday’s carnage at Abbas Town which left around 48 dead and more than 200 injured.


The pain of the mourners grew after at least two men were killed and around two dozen others, including law enforcers, were wounded during armed clashes that took place just as the funeral processions were returning from Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard. At least nine vehicles were also set on fire by unidentified persons on the Super Highway.

Investigations into Sunday’s attack also remained inconclusive as authorities struggled to find clues to bring the culprits to book.

Nevertheless, over 60 suspects have been apprehended including alleged members of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Authorities have imposed a ban on pillion riding for an indefinite period across the city following the deteriorating law and order situation in the city. The provincial home department has offered a Rs5 million reward for anyone helping law enforcement agencies nab the culprits involved in the Abbas Town tragedy.

Monday’s silence and violence

For several hours, the city was in the grip of an eerie silence following the strike and mourning calls by Shia organisations as well as political and religious outfits.

Commercial activities and public transport remained suspended across the city while educational institutions were shut.

The situation turned violent when participants of the funeral procession reached Al-Asif Square, Sohrab Goth and unidentified persons resorted indiscriminate firing. Things worsened when law enforcers tried to disperse the participants after the firing, getting caught up in the clashes themselves.

Eyewitnesses told The Express Tribune that scores of enraged mourners hemmed a Rangers mobile stationed near the Ancholi area in a bid to press the paramilitary troops to provide security to those returning back from funerals held at the Super Highway.

Rangers’ personnel resorted to aerial firing to disperse the enraged crowd, which triggered a gunfight between the paramilitary troops and the protesters. The gunfire continued for more than two hours.

In the process, a 35-year-old man identified as Qamar Raza, and Intikhab Hussain, were killed and around two dozen people, including five Rangers personnel, were wounded.

Witnesses, however, claimed that the victims were being shot at by the Rangers. “We went to the Rangers to ask for help and they started firing at us instead,” lamented Zafar Naqvi, a protester.

The Rangers spokesperson denied reports that the paramilitary force pre-emptively opened fire at the crowd. “The deployed Rangers’ personnel were targeted from among the protesters,” said the spokesperson.

Investigations

Crime Investigation Department’s (CID) Anti-Extremist Cell (AEC) has claimed to have arrested four alleged members of the outlawed LeJ’s Asif Chohto group members and an alleged member of the TTP’s Maulana Waliur Rehman group.

Their arrests were disclosed during a press conference held at Garden Police Headquarter where Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari informed media that more than 60 suspects have so far been detained in connection with Sunday’s blast.

The arrested LeJ men – Saifur Rehman aka Shehzad, Abdul Ghani aka Zubair aka Akbar aka Tension, Mohammad Ali aka Hakeem and Zahid Gul aka Hamza – were rounded up after an exchange of fire in Mawach Goth, Maripur while TTP’s suspect, Noor Mohammad, was arrested from the Baldia Town locality.

AEC chief SSP Chaudhry Aslam Khan said that the arrested LeJ members had been involved in more than 25 cases of target killings and Saifur Rehman is an expert in bomb making. He added that the accused Abdul Ghani was also involved in the bomb blasts near Haider-e-Qarar and Mustafa Imambargahs in Orangi Town and Abbas Town, respectively during the first ten days of Muharram.

Although the IGP and bomb disposal squad said that around 150 kg of explosives were used in the blast, some investigators say that the quantity has to be much more given the impact of the explosion. “I think the more than 400 kg of explosives were used in the blast,” said AEC chief Khan.

CID SSP Fayyaz Khan said that he suspected that LeJ’s Asif Chohto and Usman Kurd group were involved in the attack.

Another senior investigator, SSP Raja Umar Khattab said that the police investigators have already lost crucial evidence due to the rescue work and delayed arrival at the blast site.

Sindh Police Surgeon Dr Aslam Pechuho said that the death toll has risen to 48.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Abbas Town attack: Shia, Sunni residents stick together amid heart-rending tragedy</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515976/abbas-town-attack-shia-sunni-residents-stick-together-amid-heart-rending-tragedy</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515976/abbas-town-attack-shia-sunni-residents-stick-together-amid-heart-rending-tragedy#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 22:16:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rabia.ali]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515976</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Regardless of their religious views, locals and volunteers come out to lend victims a helping hand.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Rizwan Abbas chose to spend the night of Sunday’s deadly attack in Karachi on a hard pavement rather than his comfy bed to protect his Sunni neighbour’s abandoned house.


Although his own house escaped damage, he stayed under the open sky to watch over the damaged house of his friend, Babar, who fled the area with his family.

The 25-year-old received injuries when the massive blast ripped through Abbas Town, but as soon as the doctors bandaged his head, he returned home to provide a helping hand to the victims.

“When my brothers are in pain and in need, how can I stay away and not help them?” Abbas said as he walked around the rubble the next morning, helping remove the heavy concrete blocks.

The attackers are mistaken if they think that Sunday’s blast would inflame the ongoing sectarian violence. Living peacefully for years in the apartments that were heavily damaged in the blast, Sunnis and Shias have become even more united amid pain, grief and devastation.

Regardless of the differences in their religious views, the area’s residents have risen together to console one another and help victims get back on their feet.

“There is no Sunni or Shia here. We are all Muslims,” said Mohammad Nasir, a volunteer.



Sunni volunteers were on guard on the road leading to Mustafa Imambargah, allowing no one to go near it. Others stopped people from getting too close to the blast site, as rescuers attempted to remove the debris.

Inside the residential blocks, two young men, who live behind Abbas Town, were handing out chicken biryani to whomever they could find. “Take this. Take this,” one of them named Mohammad Raza said to a man in a green turban.

“If everyone would have helped only those who belonged to their own sect, there would have been no survivors,” said the young man.

Since Sunday night, he and his friends had pulled out two bodies, donated blood and distributed food amongst the stricken families out of their own pockets. “My own sister’s house has been damaged. But my other relatives are with her. Right now I am more needed here,” said Raza.

Shama, whose uncle, Ghulam, was amongst the 18 Sunnis killed in the attack, said, “It is the government who wants the Shias and Sunnis to fight. We have never fought and will never fight.”

Some women were seen trying to console Kaneez Fatima, who lost her cousin in the blast. “Don’t cry. It will be okay. We are in this together,” her neighbour Jameela said. Two Shia women turned up to tell the affected women that temporary residence was being offered for all at the Pakistan Sports Board hostel.

The residents disclosed that they had never witnessed tension between Shias and Sunnis in the area, even though there have been attacks in the past.

“Our children play cricket together. At nights, we all sit together. This attack is not on Sunnis or Shias, it is on Muslims,” said one, Imran, while handing out water bottles to others.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>In circles: Stunned by attack, senators grope for answers on unrest</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515959/in-circles-stunned-by-attack-senators-grope-for-answers-on-unrest</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515959/in-circles-stunned-by-attack-senators-grope-for-answers-on-unrest#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 22:01:17 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Sindh]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515959</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Some see geo-political conspiracy, others blame security forces and Sharmila Farooqui.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Lawmakers in the upper house tried their best to make sense of the deteriorating law and order in Karachi on Monday.


Scores of them believe the Karachi bombing is part of an international conspiracy against Pakistan given its two key decisions taken with the Chinese and Iranian governments over the strategic Gwadar port and gas pipeline project.

Others in the Senate took the authorities to task for not only their failure to prevent yet another lethal bomb explosion in Abbas Town, Karachi, but also their delayed response in rescuing victims, which resulted in heavy casualties and damages.

Many of them blamed Pakistan Peoples Party member Sharmila Farooqi as the police and Rangers were busy with VIP duty for her engagement ceremony at the time of the attack. This was why it took so long for them to reach the scene, said parliamentarians.

The upper house did, however, stand in unison to condemn the act of terror and asked the administration to rein in the unending torrent of sectarian violence against the Shias.

“The Karachi incident should not be excluded from the series of sectarian violence which gripped Quetta,” said veteran PPP Senator Raza Rabbani.

He said this incident should also be viewed in light of international politics following the agreements signed with China on the Gwadar port and the government’s decision to go ahead with the gas pipeline with Iran.

“These are the implications of these decisions, but both are correct and bold moves made by the government,” remarked Rabbani. He said that all the key stakeholders within the country must be on the same page to develop a strategy to counter what he said were conspiracies against national sovereignty. He suggested that the recommendations of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security should be implemented. They were, after all, put together after all stakeholders were taken on board.

“We have to take a final decision for our national security and sovereignty by giving up the policy of running with the hare and hunting with the hound.”

Baloch Senator Kalsoom Perveen also held “international powers” responsible for sectarian violence in Quetta and Karachi, particularly after the agreements with China and Iran.



Earlier, Senator Muzaffar Hussain Shah of the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional demanded an inquiry into the delay by the rescue teams, saying that a large number of police and rangers were reportedly deployed on VIP duty at Farooqui’s engagement ceremony.

Opposition Leader in the Senate Ishaq Dar lamented that Interior Minister Rehman Malik had himself informed this house much earlier that such terrorist acts would be replayed in Karachi, but he did not do anything to effectively prevent them.

“The government must tell us what roadmap has been developed to control the situation before it is too late,” he demanded.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement Senator Farogh Naseem felt that the absence of city and community policing was responsible.

Senator Mushahid Ullah Khan criticised the government for what he said was corruption and a misuse of power despite the fact that the country was facing one of the worst levels of violence. “Every street of Karachi is red with the blood of innocent people and the interior minister is playing politics with their blood. He is himself an expert on terrorism,” he remarked.

Baloch Senator Hasil Khan Bizenjo said that different religious groups in Karachi have started establishing their own courts after being disappointed with the government.

Earlier, Awami National Party Senators walked out of the house to protest the bomb blast and decision not to allocate gas to Tal Tehsil in Hangu district, which is a major contributor of gas in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.



No business 

Following its tradition of suspending all legislative business on the occasion of a sitting member’s death, the National Assembly’s Monday session was adjourned after offering prayers for PPP’s Mehrunnisa Afridi who passed away in Peshawar on Sunday night after a brief illness.

The lower house, attended by not more than a dozen members, held collective prayers for Afridi and victims of the Abbas Town attack.

The MQM, however, did manage to record its protest over the Karachi bombings and demanded an inquiry from the government besides the arrest of the people involved.

“It was a blatant act of terrorism that deprived over 40 families of their loved ones and their properties. We want to know why no police, no Rangers or any other law enforcement personnel made it to the scene hours past the incident,” demanded MNA Iqbal Muhammad Ali.

Asking the government to inform the house on the inquiry, Ali said that the police’s late response to the catastrophe was “criminal negligence”.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 5th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Abbas Town blast a conspiracy to divide Shia, Sunni: Sattar</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515691/abbas-town-blast-a-conspiracy-to-divide-shia-sunni-sattar</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515691/abbas-town-blast-a-conspiracy-to-divide-shia-sunni-sattar#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 13:34:09 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515691</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Abbas town attack “is a genocide of Shia Mohajirs and this is a conspiracy to divide them” says Sattar.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) deputy convener Dr Farooq Sattar said on Monday that the blast at a residential complex in Abbas Town was a conspiracy to create an impression of Shia-Sunni strife in the country and a deliberate attempt to divide the Mohajir community.

Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Monday, Sattar said that the incident in Abbas Town “is a genocide of Shia Mohajirs and this is a conspiracy to divide them.”

The MQM leader added that a number of new groups were being created on the basis of sectarian differences and that these groups were “being given a license to spread violence.”

“On the other hand sectarian outfits created by the establishment which have been banned, are freely spreading terrorism.  These terrorist groups target Shia and Sunni groups who live peacefully together. An impression is being created globally that Shia and Sunni cannot live peacefully together.”

"Abbas town incident has proved once more that the government and security agencies has failed to provide protection to the people or to prosecute those responsible and the people have been left to fend for themselves. We have no choice but to request the people to protect themselves, set up community policing."

Sattar added that they want those responsible to be prosecuted. "The victims should be compensated and the houses and shops destroyed should be rebuilt by the government.”]]>
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			<title>One killed as funeral procession participants fired upon</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515646/funeral-prayers-of-abbas-town-blast-victims-offered</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515646/funeral-prayers-of-abbas-town-blast-victims-offered#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 12:40:23 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515646</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[14 people including five Rangers personnel injured as a result of firing near Sohrab Goth.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[One  person was killed and at least 14 people were injured when participants of the Abbas Town funeral procession came under heavy fire at Al-Asif Square near Sohrab Goth, Express News reported.

Express News correspondent Nadeem Ahmed said that heavy firing by unknown men at Sohrab Goth came from "all sides."

He said that at least 14 people were injured, including five Rangers personnel.

Some buses and vehicles including three ambulance were also torched near the highway. Six hotels were also burnt.

Members of the procession also came under fire at Ancholi where more people were injured.

While police and Rangers were not deployed when the firing started, they had been deployed after the participants of the funeral procession had passed through Sohrab Goth.

The government announced that pillion riding will be banned from midnight on March 4.

A crackdown against banned organisations will also be launched.

Funeral prayers for Abbas Town victims

Funeral prayers of people who were killed in Sunday’s twin blasts in Abbas Town were held earlier today. The funeral prayers were led by Maulana Shaikh Salahuddin. A large crowd turned out for the funeral prayers.

The dead were buried at the Wadi-e-Hussain graveyard in Karachi.

Earlier, funeral prayers of six of the dead were offered at Shuhada Karbala Imambargah in Ancholi.

As many as 50 people were killed and 140 people were injured when two bombs went off in a residential complex in Abbas Town, Karachi on March 3, 2013.

On the request of Karachi Traders Association, the Shia Ulema Council called off the strike, while Karachi Transport Ittehad also decided to end transport strike.

MNA Shazia Marri turned away

When MNA Shazia Marri arrived at Abbas Town on Monday afternoon -- apparently for recording of a show -- incensed area residents forced her car to turn back.

Express News bureau chief Akbar Ali said that at first the area residents thought the Marri had arrived to  condole with them. When they saw that the MNA was there for recording a programme, they forced her entourage to turn back. Some angry members of the crowd slapped Marri's car as it made its way out of the area.]]>
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				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/515646-shiakillingkarachiabbastownphotoreuters-1362401264/515646-shiakillingkarachiabbastownphotoreuters-1362401264.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
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			<title>Rehman Malik claims providing intelligence about Karachi blasts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515656/rehman-malik-claims-providing-intelligence-about-karachi-blasts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515656/rehman-malik-claims-providing-intelligence-about-karachi-blasts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 11:12:45 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515656</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Interior Minister asks IG Sindh, home secretary why no steps were taken despite being provided intelligence.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Interior Minister Rehman Malik claimed on Monday that he had provided intelligence about a possible terrorist attack in Karachi in Shia-dominated areas, similar to the one in Quetta.

Malik, speaking to the media, asked the IG Sindh and the home secretary why security wasn’t kept adequate despite being provided information. “Security was only kept strict for four days.”

He lashed out against the Punjab government and said that all headquarters of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) were in Punjab and there was no Shia-Sunni conflict in Karachi.

“This is an open question for the Punjab government: How many of them [LeJ members] did you arrest? How many of their offices were closed in Jhang and Multan? What happened to their madrassa in Rahim Yar Khan?”

Malik said that there were 34 FIRs against LeJ leader Malik Ishaq and he will release them all later during the day. “Thirty men of LeJ were caught red-handed in Karachi.”

He also claimed of breaking the Taliban’s back. “They [Taliban] are at the point that they are seeking reconciliation and dialogue. It is the Punjab Taliban, also known as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, who did it [bombings] in Quetta and now in Karachi.”

A powerful blast ripped though Abbas Town in Karachi on Sunday evening, leaving 48 people dead and over 150 injured. No group has claimed responsibility for the blast yet.]]>
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			<title>Karachi blasts: Pakistan flag flies at half mast</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515602/karachi-blasts-pakistan-flag-flies-at-half-mast</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515602/karachi-blasts-pakistan-flag-flies-at-half-mast#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 05:24:59 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515602</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Transport, business centres, educational institutes remain closed in several areas of Sindh.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Twin blasts in Karachi brought most areas of the country to a standstill on Monday with strikes being observed while the national flag flew at half mast, Express News reported.

A powerful blast ripped though Abbas Town in Karachi on Sunday evening, leaving 48 people dead and over 150 injured. The explosion took place in a street lined with apartment buildings and myriad small shops on both sides.

Around 200 flats were affected, while 50 of them were completely destroyed by the fire which followed the blasts. The residents were compelled to move to their relatives’ houses.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) continued with their operation Monday morning to find more evidence from the blast site.

Transport, businesses, educational institutes and petrol pump remained closed in Karachi, Hyderabad, Jamshoro, Sukkur and Jacobabad. The Punjab government also called for a one-day mourning to be observed today.

On Monday, the stock market was open, but Mohammad Sohail of brokerage firm Topline Securities said there were fewer dealers and trading volumes were low.

The strike in Karachi was called by Jafaria Alliance and was supported by several political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Awami National Party (ANP), Pakistan Muslim League – Functional (PML-F), PML-Quaid, and Sunni Tehreek.

Local transport and traders' associations said that they would not be working on Monday. "There will be no public transport on the roads today," said Karachi Transporters Association chief Irshad Bokhari.

Head of the Karachi Traders' Alliance, Attique Mir also said that shopping centres and malls as well as business activity would remain suspended.

Lawyers of Sindh Bar Council and Punjab Bar Council also announced a strike and boycotted activities in several courts. The Lahore High Court will only hear important cases.

Three-day mourning was also announced by Shia parties including Jafaria Alliance, Majlis-e-Wehdat-e-Muslimeen, Shia Ulema Council and Quetta Yakjheti Council.

Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Fazal Karim, while speaking to Express News, said that terrorists with an international agenda are in power and are challenging the government’s writ.

Stressing on a crackdown against such elements, Karim said the terrorists want Pakistan to disintegrate. “If there is no concentrated effort against them, situation will not improve,” he added.

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Sharjeel Memon said the people of Pakistan have failed the terrorists by keeping calm. He said the terrorists want to instigate violence between the two sects.

The PPP leader further lamented the fact that the “enemies are in disguise and are a part of us.”

Police are preparing a list of those killed and are trying to identify the dead with the help of their relatives.

Camps for blood and money donation have been set up in different parts of the city to facilitate those affected by the blasts.

CM takes notice

Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah took notice of the incident and formed a six-member investigation team, which will present its report in three days.

The chief minister also announced Rs1.5 million in compensation for families of those killed in the blasts, and one million rupees for the injured. He also announced a reward of Rs5 million for anyone who assists the police in identifying or locating the suspects involved in the act.

The Sindh governor promised that the government will rebuild the homes and the shops destroyed in the blast.]]>
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				    <img src="https://i.tribune.com.pk/media/images/515602-karachiblastabbastownreuters-1362378048/515602-karachiblastabbastownreuters-1362378048.jpg" class="featured_image"/>
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			<title>Ambushed: Man gunned down in Kohat</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515397/ambushed-man-gunned-down-in-kohat</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515397/ambushed-man-gunned-down-in-kohat#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 04 Mar 13 01:07:34 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515397</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[After the incident, residents blocked GT Road near Kacha Pakha, Kohat district for more than 30 minutes.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A man belonging to a Shia family was gunned down by unidentified people in Safar, on the border of Lower Orakzai Agency and Kohat district, on Sunday. It is not clear whether the attack was a case of sectarian violence.


An official of the Usterzai police, Kohat, told The Express Tribune that deceased Gul Hussain was a resident of Marai Bala. The police said Hussain was on his way to Kohat when unidentified assailants ambushed him around 7am.

“They opened fire and killed him on the spot,” the official added.

The cousin of the deceased, Samin Haider filed a case stating the family did not have any personal enmity and blamed the incident on sectarianism.

After the incident, residents blocked GT Road near Kacha Pakha, Kohat district for more than 30 minutes. However, the police rushed to the site, dispersed the protesters so the road would be clear for the government officials who were passing through. Published in The Express Tribune, March 4th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>The blame game continues as Hazaras search for answers</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515034/solutions-conclusions-the-blame-game-continues-as-hazaras-search-for-answers</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/515034/solutions-conclusions-the-blame-game-continues-as-hazaras-search-for-answers#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 13 05:22:54 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mohammad.zafar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=515034</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Silently, slowly, many from the community attempt to trickle out of Balochistan.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Weeks after the second Hazara massacre turned Quetta red, no answers and no concrete solutions have surfaced. 

Some experts claim that the Hazaras are caught in a proxy war between Saudi Arabia and Iran, while others blame religious extremists.


However, most of those who suffered directly and lost loved ones point at the government and law enforcement agencies.

“They are responsible for protecting the people,” says Mohammad Ishaq, 40, a tailor from Hazara Town who lost five members of his family in the Kirani road attack. “The government and its functionaries know who is behind these attacks. And yet, they seem to be doing nothing.”

Shia civil organisations seem to agree. Sayed Yousuf, the deputy general secretary of the Majlis-e-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), tells The Express Tribune that security agencies are very active in Balochistan, and it is entirely their fault that such bloodbaths have not been prevented.

“At least 40 security agencies are active,” he says, adding that the frequency of these attacks suggests governmental involvement.

He recalls the time when the MWM opened an office in Quetta. Instantly, at least 29 agencies approached him and other leaders with inquiries.



“If these agencies can find a tiny office suspicious, then how are they not aware of such large-scale attacks?” he asks.

MWM Secretary-General Allama Maqsud Ali Domki says sectarian killings have been going on for over 15 years, and law enforcement agencies have not controlled them. He expresses support for the targeted operation in Balochistan, hoping it will bear resemblance to the one launched in Swat. However, according to him, the army control is the last hope.

“The Pakistani Army is the most powerful force in our country and under the Constitution, in Article 245, it says that if the government and administration fail to control the city then the army should be called in to do it. The governor of Balochistan agrees with us,” he says.

According to Domki, the federal committee has assured him a panel would be formed to meet the army chief to discuss potential deployment in the city. However, as of now, the paramilitary Frontier Corps and the administration are conducting their operation. The army option will only be taken seriously if this fails.

And yet, not everyone believes that blame can be attributed so simply. There may be a multi-layered, international cause at the crux of this genocide

The chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), Abdul Khaliq Hazara, said while addressing a press conference that the policy makers of the country have deliberately allowed so much Pakistani blood to be shed to protect Iranian and Saudi Arabian interests.

According to him, the events of the past decades reflect that sectarian violence in Balochistan, and Quetta specifically, has been fueled intentionally, leading to a systematic erosion of the centuries-old mutual respect among different sects and ethnic groups.

The chairman also said the January 10 and February 16 bombings have illustrated to the world how atrocities against Hazaras have broken all records. However, in spite of all that, as a community, the Hazaras have protested democratically and peacefully, exhibiting exemplary tolerance.

However, unlike Domki, he said his party never demanded army rule, terming it a ‘myopic’ stance.  A targeted operation, carried out with honesty, is what needs to be done.

International footballer and a Hazara, Mohammad Mehdi, reiterates the opinion that there is no sectarian war in Balochistan, but simply a war waged by Saudi Arabia, on the directive of the United States. The aim is to destabilise the country since it is improving ties with Iran.

Pointing to the cheap electricity Iran is providing, the interest in the Pak-Iran gas pipeline, and the attractive prices for petrol and fuel, he says the US is nervous about Iran’s improving economy.  According to him, the US is playing a ‘great game’ and using Saudi Arabia to fuel the sectarian violence.

According to HRCP’s chairman in Balochistan, Tahir Hussain, not a single culprit involved in targeted killings has been arrested so far, a reflection of the utter apathy of law enforcement agencies towards maintaining the peace.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Khoon: An ode to the Shia community</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514782/khoon-an-ode-to-the-shia-community</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514782/khoon-an-ode-to-the-shia-community#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Mar 13 15:28:12 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[rafay.mahmood]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Life &amp; Style]]></category><category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=514782</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Topi Drama’s latest song says we have blood on our hands.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Socially and politically-relevant music not only grips listeners, but also signals for a change in times of socio-political crises. Singers like Shehzad Roy have used satirical humour in songs like Laga Rahe and YouTube sensations like Faris Shafi have also taken the same route with a number like Awaam. But while a musician’s effort to laugh at himself is appreciated, another way is to say it exactly like it is.


With its new song Khoon, the band Topi Drama hopes to make listeners more aware of their surroundings. The song is about the blood that Pakistanis have on their hands for the silence and apathy shown by the government, media and citizens towards the persecution of the Shia community. A smooth listen on the ears, Khoon has gone viral since its release two weeks ago and Topi Drama has struck a chord with the audience right when it was needed.

The three member Lahore-based rock band Topi Drama was formed in 2010, with Sohail Qureshi as vocalist, Arafat Mazhar as guitarist and Kenny Zeerick on the drums. Mazhar also produces the songs in his studio Manic House Productions. Although the band is relatively new, it has already released Inquilab, a song which mocks the glossy version of revolution that people dream of, earlier this year.

Billy Joel-inspired work on the keys gives Khoon the perfect combination of darkness and hopelessness in a minimalistic arrangement. It almost creates a spatial vacuum that is reminiscent of the way people felt after the back-to-back massacres — completely jaded.

“Khoon is a personal song,” Mazhar tells The Express Tribune. “I don’t want anyone to think we are trying to preach here or give a message. We are not under any illusions that our song can bring any change.”

While the song is short, thought-provoking and concise, it is also impactful with its bold lyrics. The words “meray or teray haathon pe khoon hai” stay in the mind of the listener.



“Every word in the song was inspired by our silence and inaction for the massacre that has been going on for years,” says Mazhar regretfully. “It comes from a sense of guilt that their is blood on my hands, and because we are silent — we are accomplices. “

The band is in the process of recording a rock-and-roll album with a couple of piano-based tracks. “My focus is for the band to play live and have fun,” Zeerick says. “It’s important to remember we are not an activist group with an agenda. We are a rock-and-roll band,” he says. “If our song was able to create a collective expression of solidarity with the Hazara community, that is a bonus.”

The young members of the band seem to be focused on composing more music. Topi Drama is a great addition to the Pakistani music industry, where band culture is almost dead. It’s also interesting to see that most music channels have shifted their focus to Pakistani songs in the last couple of months, which works in the band’s favour. After all, if a song like Waderay Ka Beta went viral, so should a serious song like Khoon.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2013. 

Like Life &amp; Style on Facebook for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.]]>
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			<title>Of remembrance: Relatives relive horror of Hazara massacre</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514632/of-remembrance-relatives-relive-horror-of-hazara-massacre</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514632/of-remembrance-relatives-relive-horror-of-hazara-massacre#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Mar 13 04:43:33 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mohammad.zafar]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=514632</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Weeks later, wounds are still fresh, problems left unaddressed.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Bibi Razi struggles to describe the worst day of her life.


January 10, 2013. A day scorched in her mind, possibly forever. The day she learnt that her son Awais Ahmed, 27, had been killed in the suicide attack. That he was never coming back.

“What do you want to hear and what do you expect me to say?” she asks, as anguished tears stream down her face. “My son Awais is gone. That is all. I never dreamt that my new year would start off in this way.”

On that day, Awais was at work, making jewellery. When the first blast occurred, he and his two brothers, 39-year-old Ahmed Raza and 25-year-old Ahmed Jamal, rushed to the snooker club on Alamdar Road to help with rescue operations.

That’s precisely when a second suicide bomber struck, killing Ahmed, amongst many others, on the scene.

“My son was missing and we only learned about his death when we got to the Combined Military Hospital,” says Bibi.

The brothers were shifted to the Liaquat National Hospital in Karachi for treatment and have yet to be discharged. Jamal has lost his leg. Tragic still, they don’t know that their brother is dead.

“I don’t have the courage to tell them,” says Bibi, breaking down again.

Awais has left behind more than a grieving mother and brothers. He has also left behind a wife and three young daughters – Kamil, 4, Zainab, 3, and one year old Hasinat.

Now, Bibi Razi teaches the Holy Quran to children just to make ends meet. Jamal is jobless, Raza was a rickshaw driver before being injured. Life is insecure, bleak.

“God knows when this suffering will end,” she concludes, wracked with despair.

Unfortunately, Bibi Razi and other loved ones grieving for victims of the Alamdar Road incident are not alone in their sorrow. The second chilling and blatant massacre of the Hazaras on February 16, this time on Kirani Road, has also claimed too many lives, of the living and the dead.

One of those is Mohammad Ishaq, 40, now a shadow of his former self.

Like Bibi Razi, he has hardly spoken since the day he lost what he believed to be everything. Five members of Ishaq’s family were killed -- his wife, Rabia, two daughters Qubra,12, and eight-year-old Ruqia, sister-in-law Zuhra, 30, and his six-year-old nephew Mohammad Hussain.

Ishaq works as a tailor in Hazara Town. He speaks with a thick, melodious Persian accent. As he attempts to describe the fateful day, he breaks down and finds it difficult to stop crying for a while.

“The suicide bomber struck when my daughters Qubra and Ruqia were on their way back from school,” he says in a soft voice, difficult to hear. “Razia Bibi was in the market with Zuhra and her son, buying groceries for dinner. That’s when the water tanker packed with explosives went off. That’s when it all ended.”

In this emotionally charged environment, several people interrupt to express their anger at both the terrorist and the seemingly ineffective government functionaries.

Ishaq, however, seems to have a direct, confident response.

“The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi [is behind these attacks],” he states with quiet resonance. “But the government knows that better than I do.”

He adds that he is not in favour of the army taking over, that the demand was on the dictation of his elders.

“We are a peaceful people. Here I stand, having lost my entire family, and I still ask for peace. We need to get serious about ending these senseless killings,” he says with a quiet strength that is most impressive. “Families have registered the names of the victims and are waiting for the promised compensation, but we are not trying to go abroad. Address our problems, please. We are not going anywhere.”

A little later, Mohammad Kazim, the owner of a computer shop in Hazara Town also recalls the day of the blast. He remembers the sheer magnitude of the blast, how the children inside the school and computer centre didn’t even stand a chance.  He remembers the screams, the cries, the confusion.

“There was blood, human limbs, burnt flesh everywhere,” he says in a pained whisper. “It was Doomsday. Nothing short of Doomsday.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Continued attacks: Shia trader gunned down</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514563/continued-attacks-shia-trader-gunned-down</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514563/continued-attacks-shia-trader-gunned-down#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 02 Mar 13 00:41:01 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[our.correspondent]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[K-P]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=514563</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Akbar Ali was in his shop when two motorcyclists opened fire and escaped.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[A Shia trader was gunned down in Kochi Bazaar on Friday evening, in the 11th such attack in nearly two months.

Akbar Ali was in his shop with a friend, Muktar Hussain, when two motorcyclists opened fire and escaped, leaving them critically injured. Both were rushed to the Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) but Ali died on the way. Hussain is said to be in critical condition.

“Most shopkeepers were at the mosque offering prayers so no one really saw the attackers,” said Tauseef Khan, another shopkeeper. He said Ali was targeted in his shop, adding that people in the area learnt about the incident when they heard two boys who worked in the shop crying.



By the time police reached the scene of the crime, the culprits had escaped.

Ali, a resident of Chowk Nasir Khan, inside the walled city, was a trader by profession.

A few hours after Ali was killed, the Imamia Coordination Council (ICC) called for a protest. At least 200 people marched from Imambargah Adil Baig Kucha Risaldar towards Qissa Khwani Bazaar.

There, the aggrieved participants held a sit-in, condemning the government over its failure to bring sectarian violence to an end and demanded the arrest of those responsible for killing Shias.

The protesters, led by Imamia Jirga member Muzaffar Akhunzada, burnt tires at Qissa Khwani Bazaar and placed the deceased’s body on the main thoroughfare.

The sit-in continued till the filing of this report.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 2nd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Governor rule in Balochistan: Decision in 24 hrs, Naek</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514328/governor-rule-in-balochistan-decision-in-24-hrsnaek</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/514328/governor-rule-in-balochistan-decision-in-24-hrsnaek#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 01 Mar 13 12:07:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category><category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=514328</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The government is in talks with other provincial leaders across the country regarding Balochistan and caretaker setup.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[ Law Minister Farooq H Naek said that decision regarding the governor’s rule in Balochistan will be taken within 24 hours, Express News reported on Friday.

Speaking to the media from the Parliament House, Farooq H Naek said that Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman will support the government’s decision regarding governor's rule in Balochistan. The government is in talks with other provincial leaders across the country.

The federal government had imposed governor rule in mid January after a massive terrorist attack in Quetta that killed over 100 people. The most recent attack on the Hazara community in that city claimed the lives of 89 people on Februrary 16.

Shedding light on the caretaker setup that would precede the upcoming national elections, Naek said that the caretaker prime minister will be selected after a consensus.

“Having elections on the same day will be cost-effective”, he said.

Earlier, it was reported that Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf had contacted Opposition Leader Chaudhry Nisar of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and asked him to submit names of prospective candidates for the post of caretaker prime minister.

However, no response had been received in writing by the government as yet, Naek noted.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan’s Hazaras take up arms over attacks</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513788/pakistans-hazaras-take-up-arms-over-attacks</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513788/pakistans-hazaras-take-up-arms-over-attacks#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 28 Feb 13 08:17:38 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=513788</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Police planning to close entrances to Hazara Town, and recruit 200 young Hazaras to patrol their own areas.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Ismatullah holds an AK-47 and checks vehicles on the road. "Enough is enough. We have no trust in the security forces anymore and we'll protect our community ourselves," says the teenage Shia student.

Extremist bombers killed nearly 200 people in Quetta in the two worst bomb attacks to strike Shia Muslims from the minority Hazara community, just weeks apart on January 10 and February 16.

After each attack, thousands of Hazaras, including women and children, camped out in the bitter cold demanding that the army step in to protect them. The government brokered an end to the protests, but refused to mobilise the troops.

Outlawed extremist group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) claimed responsibility and has threatened to exterminate all Shias. Few believe that dozens of men rounded up after the bomb attacks will ever be brought to justice.

The Supreme Court and rights groups accuse the authorities of failing to protect Hazaras and now young men like 18-year-old Ismatullah are taking up arms to defend themselves and their families.

Ismatullah's best friend was shot dead last June near Hazara Town. He lost more friends when suicide bombers flattened a snooker hall on January 10 and a massive bomb hidden in a water tanker destroyed a market on February 16.

"I couldn't control myself when I saw scattered pieces of so many children and women of our community," said the first year college student.

"Our community is only interested in education and business, but terrorists have forced us to take up whatever arms we have and take to the streets for our own security."

At the moment they operate as volunteers under the name, Syedul- hohada Scouts, registered as part of the Balochistan Scouts Association, an affiliate of the worldwide scouting movement.

For years, young men like Ismatullah have volunteered to protect sensitive events, such as religious processions during the holy month of Muharram.

But their chairman says the threat is now so great that they should be paid full time as an auxiliary to government security forces.

"We have around 200 young men who perform security duties on specific occasions, but most of them are students and workers, and can't work full-time," said Syed Zaman, chairman of the Hazara Scouts.

"We are trying to make a system to start their salaries for permanent deployment and also coordinate with the security agencies. Hopefully, we will be able to form a regular force... and salaries in a month," he said.

Scouts president Ghulam Haider said it was a mistake to rely on government security when the first of two suicide bombers struck at the snooker hall in the Alamdar Road neighbourhood.

"It resulted in another bomb blast minutes after the first one and we lost many more people," Haider told AFP.

"We didn't want that to happen again, so immediately after the blast on February 16, we armed our youth to man the streets and entry points, which helped to prevent the chances of a second attack," he claimed.

Hazara Town, where the market was bombed, is very exposed, in the shadow of the Chiltan mountains and near the bypass which links the Afghan border town of Chaman to Karachi.

While paramilitary Frontier Corps and police patrol the main approaches, they are not visible inside the neighbourhood.

"Security agencies can't protect us. They don't know the area because most of them come from outside Quetta. So we're planning to set up our own permanent posts inside our areas," said Haider.

The police, however, have their doubts.

"If we start private policing by arming one particular community, it will set the wrong precedent," said Fiaz Ahmed Sunbal, head of Quetta police operations.

He claimed police were planning to close entrances to Hazara Town, and would recruit 200 young Hazaras to patrol their own areas.

Haider says closing off roads will isolate the community but welcomed the recruitment of Hazara Scouts as a long-term solution.

Others warn that time is running out.

"If they don't do anything and something happens again, we will take up guns and go out and kill our opponents. There will be open war," said 26-year-old shopkeeper Zahid Ali.]]>
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			<title>Contextualising militancy in Punjab</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513421/contextualising-militancy-in-punjab</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/513421/contextualising-militancy-in-punjab#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 27 Feb 13 18:59:44 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[ayesha.siddiqa]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=513421</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Political parties are happy to go along and do seat adjustment because of their inability to challenge Zia’s children.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[It is certainly a cruel statement to make but it seems that the killing of Hazara Shias and their subsequent protest has initiated a debate regarding sources of terrorism in the country. Although a popular argument is that the internal chaos and bloodletting are the work of outside powers, some questions are being raised about our own inefficiencies in dealing with extremist forces operating in the country. Two propositions are being forwarded. First, that the jihadis are indeed Zia’s children and of the generals that followed him. Second, that these jihadis may be the military’s creation but that it is now the political parties who have the dominant ownership.

To begin with the second line of thinking, a lot of fingers are being pointed at the Punjab government. There are reports of the party trying to work out an electoral deal with the political component of the SSP/LeJ for some seats in central and south Punjab. At this juncture, there seems little difference between the PML-N and the PTI as far as their support of militant groups is concerned. However, it is also important not to de-contextualise the entire debate.

The PML-N government was not always like this. It had contested the SSP/LeJ network during the 1990s, but with little support from the establishment. For instance, when Nawaz Sharif and his brother screamed their heads off about sectarian violence in Pakistan and Punjab, they were contradicted by the Foreign Office. The Sharif government of the 1990s also targeted the LeJ resulting in a botched terrorist attack on the then prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. The LeJ terrorist leader Riaz Basra also threatened them. This was a point when a combined intelligence and police operation could have helped but it didn’t happen. Moreover, the government was dismissed in 1999. There is certainly a possibility that the Sharifs got scared. More importantly, there was also the issue of being caught between the devil and the deep blue sea after they returned to Pakistan and power in 2008.

The Pakistan and Punjab of the 2000s was different in terms of its relationship with terror groups which were being neatly put to order, rearranged and regrouped. The number in Punjab fell from about 70 odd militant groups (small and large) in the 1990s to a few large ones. However, these were protected and had links with the agencies and continue to do so. The government in Punjab and the police were not authorised to question and challenge most of these groups. Police officers often complain of situations when they arrest terrorists who are later whisked away from police stations by other more powerful intelligence agencies. It was certainly not the PML-N that had allowed organisations like the Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) to walk in and out of the Pakistan Air Force, whose officers were later involved in one of the assassination attempts on Pervez Musharraf. Interestingly, the JeM continues to be treated as a good friend and allowed to expand infrastructure. The logic for continued friendship is that the operation was conducted by splinter groups and not the mother organisation.

Moreover, at that point in time even the media was not too keen to hear about jihadis in Punjab. I remember in 2007-08 no one in the larger civil society was ready to hear about the problem in Punjab. In fact, when a New York Times journalist did a story about the problem, a local English daily went out of its way to counter the report and do several stories negating the presence of extremist elements in Punjab. In fact, Mushtaq Sukhera, the senior police officer, who has been dispatched to Quetta to fight LeJ, was then RPO Bahawalpur and vehemently denied a jihadi presence in south Punjab. He even claimed that the JeM madrassa on the main GT Road was ordered to stop any further construction. However, those orders, if there were any, were never carried out.

More than personal inefficiency, this was about the real powers continuing to support the JeM and other Deobandi and Ahle Hadith militant groups. It is indeed a fact that none of the main parties in power had any knowledge of Mumbai or any control or communication with the LeT or any of the other religious-militant groups. This was not their domain, especially not after the Mumbai attack.

The decade of the 2000s is also the period when a lot of the militant organisations were allowed to go underground, which meant spreading in society far and wide. They started building their social clout, which the intelligence agencies now believe can be capitalised in mainstreaming these organisations and thus taking them away from violence. It is definitely not any political government’s idea to bring the militants into politics as it goes against the logic of electoral politics. More parties mean more concessions and dividing the vote bank. Until now, supporters of all jihadi networks happily voted for one or the other party without burdening them with any consolidated demands. However, it is now that they are being made to think of forming their own political platform. Sadly, the mainstream political parties are happy to go along and do seat adjustment partly because of their inability to openly challenge Zia’s children. Such cowardice is not forgivable but it is essential to understand the context.

These jihadis will disappear the day their creators run out of uses for them. They were raised initially during the 1980s but integrated in the tactical planning, as indicated in one of the papers produced at GHQ, to play the role of additional division to fight India. Later, they were put to multiple uses. These will get costly with time especially if they are not needed after 2014. In any case, these are risky assets to maintain in a nuclear environment. Going by the splinter-group theory, what if they start an accidental war? Getting rid of them at this stage is not hugely difficult either. In Punjab and Sindh, where these are spreading rapidly, they could be removed through an intense intelligence and police operation. It is mainly the intent and planning that could get things going.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 28th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>If a Shia, you are on your own</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512887/if-a-shia-you-are-on-your-own</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512887/if-a-shia-you-are-on-your-own#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 26 Feb 13 16:37:14 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Ejaz Haider]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=512887</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[When governments make alliances with terrorists these organisations are supposed to bust, they cannot be effective.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Let me make it simple: if you are a Shia in Pakistan, you are on your own. This fact I state for the benefit of all those citizens of this country, Shia and Sunni, who are grieving the slow demise of Mr Jinnah’s Pakistan and expecting that the tide could be reversed through state action.

Now for the longer answer.

There is no doubt about who is killing the Shia. The Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LeJ) has repeatedly taken responsibility for it. Its captured terrorists have often stated before courts that they have killed Shias and, given the opportunity, will do it again. The identity of the killers is a settled issue.

Nota Bene: The issue of the proxy war between Saudi Arabia, the Gulf states and Iran, the funding to Sunni extremist groups and whatever is left of Shia extremists, and circumstantial evidence of indirect involvement of hostile agencies is important but peripheral to the main issue, i.e., the terrorists are Pakistanis and killing on the basis of centuries-old denominational differences. The current murderous spree, of course, has a modern political and geopolitical context.

A more relevant question is: if the group that is involved in these killings has not only been ID-ed but IDs itself, what is stopping the state from acting against it, and effectively?

This is where the problem begins.

The LeJ was begotten from the dark womb of the Sipah-e Sahaba Pakistan (SSP). The SSP, banned by Pervez Musharraf, has reincarnated itself as the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat. It has a certain political presence. It is technically not the LeJ, even as de facto it is. LeJ terrorists, along with the hardline splinter group of Jaish-e Mohammad (JeM), have over the last five years, come to form the backbone of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) conglomerate. The TTP is an entity that political parties now — the ANP included (in desperation) — want to talk to, even as the state considers the LeJ a terrorist entity.

So while the LeJ is a terrorist organisation providing manpower to the TTP, the state is being pressured to talk to the latter and give it the legitimacy of an insurgent group.

But this is not all. In Punjab, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz is in talks over seat adjustment with the ASWJ, the Dr Jekyll to its Edward Hyde, the LeJ. Leaving aside the PML-N’s petty lying about the issue, it is a fact that it wants to placate the LeJ through a dangerous liaison with the ASWJ. The general impression is that this is being done to win votes. That’s only partially true. The primary reason is that the PML-N doesn’t want mayhem in Punjab, its central vote bank, where it wants to win and win big through a lot of development work (even if lopsided) by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.

The Faustian bargain is meant to keep the LeJ, and by extension the TTP, at bay. In other words, the PML-N is doing this for the same reasons that the ANP wants to talk to the TTP. The problem with this short-term approach is just that: it is short term and allows these groups the respite and the space to strengthen themselves and emerge as even more potent contenders against the state.

What about the army and the ISI; how do they look at this phenomenon?

Short answer: they are greatly worried. Next question: what are they doing about it?

Short answer: not much.

Central question: why the hell not? This requires a longer answer and some perspective.

Fact 1: The total strength of the army is about 550,000 troops. Out of this, around 110,000 are deployed in the operational areas in the west. Approximately 60,000 to 70,000 are deployed along the Line of Control as part of 10 Corps and Force Command Northern Areas. The rest are in peacetime locations, to be mobilised to defend the eastern border when required. Additionally, there are a number of other command and staff duties to be performed.

Fact 2: Armies generally operate on the 33.33 per cent principle. At any time, 33.33 per cent are deployed, the same percentage is in training and equal numbers, more or less, are resting and retrofitting. Pakistan’s internal war has thrown this awry. The deployment has gone up to 54 to 55 per cent, training retains the same percentage and the resting and retrofitting has gone down to about 12 percent. The ops areas tenure has upped from 22 months to over two years and a high percentage of units are now awaiting second and third rotation to the ops areas. Evidently a killer.

Fact 3: The Pakistan Military Academy has had to raise the 4th Pak Battalion because the internal war has taken a heavy toll of young officers. The officer-to-soldier kill ratio is very high, upped from 1:16 to 1:14 and now stands at 1:8. This means a shortage of YOs. (Some officers consider it a matter of pride; I consider it a weakness but that’s a separate topic.)

Corollary: the army is stretched thin. It cannot be everywhere and, quite apart from operations to wrest territory, is not meant to address the problem of urban terrorism. Even the counterterrorism sub-units in the Special Services Group, like the Zarar and Karar companies, are meant for fire-fighting, not gathering intelligence and pre-empting.

And the ISI? It has the capacity to gather intel and it does. But equally, there are other organisations like the police, the Intelligence Bureau and the CID units whose primary job is to gather intel. Why are they not effective? Answer: when political governments make alliances with the very terrorists these organisations are supposed to bust, then they cannot be effective. There are other reasons too but this is the primary one.

And when Frontier Corps does get involved, sending terrorists to their afterlife, as in Quetta, the leaders of these organisations invoke the law and register cases against the FC. Recently, the new Inspector General Police (IG) Balochistan met with LeJ leaders and defended this by saying the police have to reach out to them.

The question is: if the LeJ is a banned terrorist organisation, how are these leaders at large and meeting the IG?

The confusion gets confounded. More on this next time.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Quetta tragedy — an intelligence failure?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512399/quetta-tragedy-an-intelligence-failure</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512399/quetta-tragedy-an-intelligence-failure#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 13 17:29:55 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[muhammad.ali.ehsan]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=512399</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Quetta blast was failure of political leadership, which failed to prioritise &amp;amp; implement doables in war against terror]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Quetta tragedy has resulted in a barrage of accusations and finger-pointing towards the ‘failed democratic government’. True as these accusations may be, they are still of no material consequence in the immediate context. The reality is that a government that should have been long disposed of has managed to survive. Obviously, it is the people’s government and ideally, it should only wrap up its constitutional mandate to govern when balloted, not booted, out of power.

With the absolute failure of the government on almost all fronts, people find themselves compelled to view the army as the sole institution that could ensure peace. The manner in which democracy is practised in Pakistan is fast becoming unpopular. General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani may have won honours for depoliticising the military, but the institution as a whole wins little support of the people, who question the apathy and indifference with which it has allowed the current conditions to prevail in the country.

I disagree with all those calling for the deployment of the army to restore balance in Quetta. Why deploy it now for any military operation anywhere in the country when we have come so close to holding elections? For 54 months, the military waited for politicians to take political ownership of military operations. It even desisted from bulldozing its way through to ensure political compliance. All this has done is forced people to view, both the government and the military, more as clones rather than as two institutions in disagreement on the methods to seek a way out of the current predicament.

Had the military carried out operations against militants when they were most needed, we would not have witnessed the violence that we see now. Even the operations that were carried out in Swat and parts of Fata were forced upon it as a matter of  ‘defensive offense’ rather than it strategising, planning and executing them under any reassessed military doctrine. Innocent people have died because of persistent political and military indecision and both the leaderships are to blame for this. Deploying the army in Quetta at this stage may only result in delaying or even cancellation of elections.

Accusing our entire intelligence network of failure now is not in good taste. Intelligence agencies had actually failed when they allowed the American special forces to penetrate our country and conduct an operation without any retaliation on our part. Had we held them or those who led them accountable at that stage, then all spymasters would have realised the consequences of being inefficient and incompetent. Blaming intelligence agencies now is not entirely justified because there are hardly any credible methods of intelligence-sharing between the many intelligence agencies and the actionable intelligence they gather is often wasted as the ‘go-ahead givers’ are reluctant to take timely action on it.

Hardly anyone questions how appropriately intelligence agencies are organised and structured. The resources at their disposal are the same that they utilised when Pakistan was not as ungovernable as it is today. In this scenario, can we blame them for underperforming? Do they have the manpower, tools and technology that can help them execute smart and result-oriented operations? The fatal bomb blast in Quetta is not the failure of our intelligence agencies. It is the failure of the collective conscience of our political and military leadership that has miserably failed to prioritise and implement the most essential doables in the war against terror. One such doable was to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of our intelligence agencies, at least by equipping them sufficiently to perform the herculean tasks that confronted them.

If the army is deployed in Quetta now, besides being a recipe for postponement of elections, this will also give a huge incentive to the enemy which, riding on the success of its current strategy, may target other cities as well. Both the government and the military are in a tight spot. Would this have been the case had they taken the bull by the horns earlier?

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>An unholy alliance</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512400/an-unholy-alliance</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/512400/an-unholy-alliance#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 25 Feb 13 16:48:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[feisal.h.naqvi]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=512400</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Punjab is unwilling to act against the LeJ because PML-N has an electoral alliance with ASWJ, alleged killers of Shias]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Amir Mir is one of Pakistan’s most respected journalists and an authority on militancy and terrorism. He has written a number of books on the subject including the well-regarded “Talibanisation of Pakistan: From 9/11 to 26/11.” In 2006, he won the APNS award for the best investigative journalist.

Mr Mir’s credentials are worth noting because this past Friday, he authored a front-page article for The News which stated in blunt terms that: 1) the Federal Government wanted the Punjab Government to “launch a massive crackdown on the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ) and the defunct Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP)”; 2) “Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif is unlikely to oblige” the Federal Government by launching such an operation; and 3) the “main reason” why the Punjab Government is refusing to take action against the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is because it has “a seat-to-seat adjustment deal between the PML-N and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) for the upcoming elections”.

In case the alphabet soup of parties has left you confused, let me explain.

The Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is a militant group which has explicitly taken responsibility for the mass killings of Shias in Balochistan and elsewhere. The LeJ has also expressly taken responsibility for last week’s murder of Dr Ali Haider and his 12-year-old son in Lahore.

The SSP is an organisation established in the early 1980s by Maulana Haq Nawaz Jhangvi whose avowed intent was to turn Pakistan into a Sunni state. The SSP was banned in 2002 as a terrorist organisation under the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997. According to Mr Mir and others, the ASWJ is merely a rebranded version of the SSP. In any event, the ASWJ has also been declared to be a banned organisation.

Let me therefore repeat Mr Mir’s central contention in simpler words: the Government of Punjab is unwilling to act against the self-proclaimed killers of Shias because the PML-N has an electoral alliance with a banned organisation believed to support the killing of Shias.

Is Mr Mir’s assertion correct? Frankly, I don’t know. The PML-N has denied Mr Mir’s report as it had denied an earlier report to the same effect in The Express Tribune. Unlike the Tribune, Mr Mir has issued a response to the PML-N’s denial in which he has reasserted his contention. He has noted that he had filed his report after getting the PML-N’s version from a member of that party’s central executive committee, that the PML-N and the ASWJ had jointly contested a by-election on a Punjab Assembly seat for Jhang in March 2010, and that Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah had openly campaigned for a PML-N candidate in 2010 along with Maulana Ludhianvi (a leader of first the SSP and now the ASWJ). Mr Mir has also noted that the Government of Punjab has admitted paying a monthly stipend to the family of Malik Ishaq — the vice-president of the ASWJ, allegedly a founder of the LeJ, and an accused in at least 43 different cases for the murder of over 70 people. As noted by The Express Tribune and other newspapers, witnesses who appear against Mr Ishaq tend to die suddenly.

What does all of this mean? I do not know for sure. But I am certainly not reassured by what the PML-N hierarchy is saying.

Take, for example, this recent statement by Ahsan Iqbal:

 “We strongly condemn terrorist acts against Ahle Tashee …. These incidents have been happening for a while now. Who is behind these acts of terrorism? Why are these elements still at large?”

Seriously? The PML-N is the second largest political party in the country and, as the ruler of Punjab, directly responsible for governing half the population of Pakistan. The Shia population of Pakistan has been getting slaughtered at an increasingly rapid rate. How is it that the Deputy Secretary General of the PML-N can have no idea and no opinion as to the entity responsible for those killings, especially when the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi has repeatedly, proudly and openly claimed responsibility?

Not convinced? Take a look at the statement of condemnation issued by Mian Nawaz Sharif after more than 80 people were massacred in Quetta. That statement is too long to reproduce here but is notable only for the blandness of its language and its refusal to blame any specific group (excluding, of course, the Federal Government).

Khurram Dastgir Khan of Gujranwala, my good and extraordinarily learned friend, represents the PML-N on Twitter. I specifically asked him to comment on Amir Mir’s report but got no reply. Instead, Mr Dastgir has linked to reports of Mian Shahbaz Sharif ordering action against LeJ after prefacing them with the slogan “action, not words”. If Mian Shahbaz Sharif is finally taking action against LeJ, that is a good thing. But it needs to be understood that words too are important.

I have criticised Imran Khan in the past for his desire to enter into negotiations with the Taliban and I stand by that criticism today. At the same time, Imran Khan deserves tremendous credit for being the only major opposition figure to openly denounce the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. I have yet to see any similar open and public condemnation of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi by the PML-N. And its absence is being increasingly noted by Pakistan’s Shias.

Let me state some simple figures. Shias make up anywhere from 15-25 per cent of Pakistan’s population which in turn means about 30 to 50 million people. Even the lower end of that range represents a very large number of people.

I mention these figures because the PML-N needs to understand that: 1) the Shias are watching; and, 2) irrespective of how many Shias get killed, the remainder will still outnumber those tempted to vote for the PML-N by its pussy-footing around with the likes of Maulana Ludhianvi.

I’m sure the Sharif brothers already know that killing Shias is immoral. But they may also wish to consider that buying votes with Shia blood is bad politics.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>A tale of two countries</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511600/a-tale-of-two-countries</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511600/a-tale-of-two-countries#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 23 Feb 13 20:16:37 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[shandana.minhas]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511600</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Contrary to the narrative, a lot of people in Pakistan DO support persecution of people for their ‘otherness’.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The story of coverage given to the latest massacre in Quetta is a story of gratuitous emotion and new sacred cows for old. We know that some anchors were tossing and turning the night of the tragedy, others so upset they almost took their own eyes out with the curling iron. We know that some parliamentarians were moved to tears by the fortitude and dignity of young Shias chanting “Labaik ya Hussain”. We know that others banded together to demand the ‘khufia agencies’ be made accountable to parliament. We know that the chief justice took suo-motu notice of the incident. We know that people who last week refused to say the Laskhar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) out loud now sing songs about it on demand. And we know from the LeJ twitter feed that on the afternoon of February 22, “Ameer ul Mujahideen Malik Muhammad Ishaq sb ne ghar se girftari dy di”, and that he set off amidst chants of  ‘Kafar Kafar Shia Kafar’.

The public’s anger thus, temporarily appeased, the spotlight will go back to the upcoming elections. Discussion about the countries who fund militants, why terrorists are convinced enough of the toothlessness of our justice system to turn themselves in, and when the few robber barons that run our media will put the country’s interest before their own, can get back in line.

So, too, can any sincere, forensic examination of why is it that our society has proved to be such fertile ground for the seeds of violence. Ask yourself that question, as well as your ‘hukmaran’, and you might get a discomfiting answer.

Contrary to the under-construction narrative, a lot of people in Pakistan DO support the persecution of people for their ‘otherness’. And have done so from before the time ‘Zia launched his Islamisation drive’ and ‘Musharraf nay sab ka baira ghark kar diya’.

Early indications of a future where it is okay to think one kind of Pakistani is superior to others — on the basis of faith or ethnicity — is evident in moves after 1947 to prohibit minorities from holding certain offices, but its biggest manifestation to date remains Bangladesh. A ‘saneha’ for which we have yet to demand accountability, or even offer an apology. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has achieved a growing economy and the enactment of legislation banning religion from politicking.

Not for us such accumulated wisdom. Many Pakistanis have stayed silent through the mistreatment of ethnic minorities and religious minorities, like the Ahmadis, Hindus, and Christians, too. They have stayed silent when there was no real danger of being shot for dissenting and they remain unable to see that the dehumanisation of one ‘other’ opens the door to the dehumanisation of all others. Pressed, they will tell you the incidents of bonded labour, burning villages, executions, daily humiliations, didn’t really happen and if they did, it was because of bad leadership, the army, poverty or illiteracy. As if a top to bottom culture of exclusion, where every aspect of life is dictated by what is kept out and not what is invited in forms all by itself. Sometimes, silence is a choice. And you can’t really sell people spiels they don’t want to buy.

With this history, I must regretfully ask if it is possible that the reason so many of my compatriots are now agitating for the accountability of bigots is because the Shia minority is bigger than all the other minorities put together? Could it be that we can no longer avoid an awkward conversation because there is an awful lot of them and they refuse to go away quietly?

I ask this question now because there is a chasm between what we are saying and what we have been doing, and it will take more than gratuitous emotion to bridge it. Do we want to? Will we manage to? Only time will tell. Time, or the first person to stand on the roof of the world’s tallest building that Malik Riaz and Arab investors were talking about building in Karachi.

Perhaps, it’s just as well the deal fell through. He might have been disappointed by how everything looks the same.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>No point in using the army?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511603/no-point-in-using-the-army</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511603/no-point-in-using-the-army#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 23 Feb 13 18:41:02 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[anwer.mooraj]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511603</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Hazara have only one option, they will have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[There is a band of analytical writers in Pakistan that believes that the army should not be called in to stop the orgy of killing that is taking place in Quetta and other parts of the country — because there is really no point in rolling out the tanks when you just can’t spot the enemy. That, at least, is the basic logic behind the reasoning. But if you scratch below the surface, there is a much more sinister explanation. Once the lads in uniform get a foot into the door, there is a strong chance they will be around for the next 10 or 11 years, pulling the strings that make the marionettes dance. And so, nothing will really change, except, of course, the faces and perhaps, the rate of exchange against the dollar because the military brass would have got rid of all the freeloaders in the assemblies that get paid for doing no work, and there would, therefore, be less deficit financing.

Ejaz Haider is a member of the more enlightened group of writers and I found his essay, published in The Express Tribune on February 20, illuminating. Places, periods and people were conjured up in depth and detail and I felt there was a warm, genuine concern for the Hazara community that is being decimated for no fault of its own. However, Mr Haider feels that bringing in the army is no solution, and one of his reasons centred on the premise that this wouldn’t be a case of a conventional conflict but would involve targeting an invisible enemy that strikes where and when it wishes. He is, of course, absolutely right. In open combat, the terrorists wouldn’t have any chance whatsoever against a modern, well-equipped army.

The article was scholarly and well-argued in the cold white light of reason, as all of Mr Haider’s articles are, and the ball was hit on both sides of the net. But when I got to the end of the piece, I felt a little frustrated. Though the arguments didn’t quite get swamped in the tinsel as often happens, the conclusion I drew from the piece was that the Hazaras will simply have to hang around until the next bomb blast and hope this time it won’t be so severe. Because nobody is really going to do anything to protect them. Assurances by the government don’t count because the government has lost all credibility and anyway, appears to be partisan. Mr Haider did dwell on the need for intelligence and for astuteness in gathering information. The question is, who do the Hazaras go to for this intelligence? It would be naïve to think that the Pakistan military didn’t have the necessary information. But the government has told the chaps in uniform to stay in their barracks and not to get involved.

So, in my opinion, these settlers from Afghanistan are left with only one option. They have to stand up and fight like the heroic Polish Jews of the Warsaw Ghetto. They have to try to get financing from abroad so they can hire mercenaries who can track down these militants and give them a taste of their own medicine. And they have to become guerillas. Only then will they be able to, in the words of Mr Haider “ … penetrate the groups. Surprise them. Make them jittery. Take the initiative away from them. Make them distrust each other. Force them into making mistakes.” In other words, they have to take a page or two out of Mao’s book. With the administration being paralysed, they might just get away with it.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>What if it was your child?</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511601/what-if-it-was-your-child</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511601/what-if-it-was-your-child#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 23 Feb 13 18:24:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[saroop.ijaz]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511601</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Before business as usual, before the next massacre, we have to take these murderers on and deliver them to justice.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[What if it was your child? What if you had to sit with the body of a parent, or of both, in freezing cold, with the feeling that nobody cared? Imagine, if you can, the sound and smell of death. Imagine, if you will that you are a Hazara or a Shia. These are questions that were inescapable the last week. Yet, for those of us who are not Hazara or Shia, it is quite simply unimaginable. What happened to them happened to them. The human capacity for empathy has a limit, perhaps, is overrated. All of us would like to think that deep down we care, that we are not completely heartless.

However, after the second or third day of a sit-in, the traffic jam begins to irritate us a little. The television anchors seem to repeat themselves. There is work to be done, social events to attend, bills to be paid. We have done our bit, changed our Facebook status, expressed horror and outrage, maybe even stopped by at a protest on our way back from work. Now we have to get on with it. In short, we want business as usual. To imagine, that nothing happened or maybe just that bad things happen to other people. In short, not to imagine, that there will never be business as usual for a lot of people, the show has ended. For many children, in Philip Larkin’s words, there will be, “Never such innocence again”.

Our capacity to go on despite the terror and misery around us, is loftily termed as “resilience”, “the spirit to carry on” and other such clichés. Perhaps, it is not resilience, perhaps it is simple cold-blooded apathy. Maybe it is just a validation of Tolstoy’s observation in Anna Karenina, “There are no conditions of life to which a man cannot get accustomed, especially if he sees them accepted by everyone around him.” Maybe, it should not be business as usual, more roads need to be blocked, more of ordinary life disturbed. The sole reliance on human empathy is a feeble hope; all it gets you is tersely worded slogans after the mass graves, after the deed is done, “Never again”, “Never forget”, etc.

The cynicism has facts to bear it out. The PML-N did not have the courage to name the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), even when it had taken responsibility. Not even the shame to apologise for the electoral arrangement with Malik Ishaq. It is even more chilling to reflect on what sort of voters approve of this arrangement. Malik Ishaq was acquitted by the courts; the courts which deem it worth their time to order the registration of a blasphemy case against Sherry Rehman, which has now been registered by the same Punjab police which provide security to Malik Ishaq. The prime minister did not have the common decency or the spine to attend the funeral or even reach out to the victims. The Supreme Court is unwilling to believe the LeJ’s admission of responsibility. Even those who condemn the LEJ by name, in the same breath, ask for negotiation with the TTP. The same TTP which also thinks of Shias as wajib-ul-qatl, the same TTP whose alliance with the LeJ is no secret. What wicked stupidity is this? If we have to do this, let all those arguing for negotiation hold a conference at the Hazara graveyard. Look the victims in the eye and tell them that although we are sorry for their loss, yet we think it best to surrender. Hold the hand of the 85-year-old grandfather in Lahore and tell him that his 12-year-old grandson killed on his way to school, for being born a Shia died in vain. We think it is good strategy to make a deal with his murderers.

The army has never felt the need for forging a consensus when it comes to Baloch nationalists or finding the ‘anti-state’ elements within them and make them go missing. Yet, the TTP and the LeJ hold press conferences at will. The ISPR tells us that the army has no links with any banned outfits. Let us take its word, however, the question of how 1,000kgs of explosives move in the FC garrison, known as Quetta, still remains. How come no LeJ operatives have been apprehended till these horrific blasts? How come Usman Kurd escaped from a maximum security prison? The ISPR might have answers to these questions; we have not heard them yet. Perhaps, a sit-in outside the GHQ might persuade them to answer. Before we move on to our next tragedy in waiting, it might serve us to have that overdue debate on our national security state paradigm and how it is killing us.

Those who were protesting with coffins were not soliciting our pity. Our sympathy is futile. Our empathy is not strong enough. They are not victims of a random accident or natural tragedies. They are victims of carefully planned, sophisticated attacks of murder conducted by people we know of. We have to take on the LeJ, the TTP and anybody who shares this sectarian, murderous ideology for a minimum standard of fairness, decency and self-respect. If that does not persuade us, then we have to do it for self-interest. For that reason, ponder over the almost imponderable question, “what if it was your child?” To argue for the use of force makes some people uneasy. The full might of the state has to be used to crush these criminals. The argument for the use of force has to be made unashamedly; we will be ashamed later for not doing so.

I defy anyone to go to sleep after viewing the picture of a beautiful Hazara child crying over the body of her father. This is when the cliché of “never forget” comes to life. However, at a level we might not be willing to acknowledge yet, we will forget, most of us will. We will find a way of going to sleep soon. Before that time, before business as usual, before the next massacre, we have to take these murderers on and deliver them to justice. Watching the Hazara men, women and children sit in defiance to the cowardice and apathy that surrounds them on a bleak day, in sub-zero temperature, one may end by quoting the words of Edmund Blunden: “This was my country and it might be yet/But something came between us and the sun.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 24th, 2013.]]>
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			<title>From Alamdar to Kirani</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511102/from-alamdar-to-kirani</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511102/from-alamdar-to-kirani#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 18:19:52 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[amina.jilani]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Opinion]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511102</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Men, paid to protect the lives and livelihoods of the common citizens of Pakistan, have no will or intent to so do.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[From January 10, when 93 people were killed in bomb blasts in Quetta to February 16, when 89 men, women and children died in a massive bomb blast in the same city, bringing the Quetta toll of death to 182, and all in the space of one month and five days — was this not time enough for a government to act in some manner, considering that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) proudly claimed that they were the murderers, as they now have done? Their targets were poor Shias of Quetta, who have lived in fear and trepidation of their lives for long.

Since the LeJ are getting away with murder and mayhem and the governor of Balochistan, who presides over a pathetic governor’s rule, has admitted that “there is chaos everywhere and the state does not seem to be effective” (“does not seem to be” is ridiculous, it ‘is not’), therefore, we can expect more killings of Shias.

The federal government and all the petrified pillars of state have abdicated, done a Pontius Pilate, washing their hands off the entire matter of murder. The law minister has declared that “the situation is not so bad that the army should be deployed in [Quetta]”. The Supreme Court pronounced that the prime minister should bear responsibility for the carnage. Well, as everyone knows, he can take responsibility for nothing.

And the head of state is far more involved in the election process — approving symbols, trying to galvanise his party, plotting the caretaker set-up, and so forth — than he is in dwelling upon the safety and welfare of the citizens of the country. Since he runs the government and all else, other than the awkward judiciary and the overweening military, the responsibility for law and order and the lives of mainly the poor and deprived (high profile victims there have been but low in proportion to the rest) sits firmly on his head.

However, he and the others, who form the so-called ‘leadership’ can do nothing but ‘condemn’ all terrorist attacks and that too anonymously, as they avoid mention of the perpetrators, even though their identities are plastered all over the press — the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, the Lashkar-this and the Lashkar-that, or whoever it may be who deals in death.

What is it with these people who sit, or rather cower, in high chairs? Are they all too frightened out of their skins that they dare not name names, or act in any way to prevent the dance of death that extends from Balochistan, over to Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and down to Karachi? The sole security they are worried about is their own. Security arrangements involving the dual head of state and political party co-chairman are a joke as they cross all boundaries of logic and smack of cowardice. The same applies to the hundreds of minion ministers, to the chief justice of Pakistan, and somewhat disgracefully, even to the military top brass — the guardians paid to guard the nation.

Reported in the national press on February 19 was a news item detailing how the Rawalpindi roads are ‘cleared’ for the COAS to pass on his daily voyages. On February 18, a lawyer was clobbered by a soldier’s rifle butt when he parked his car in an area that had been ‘cleared’. And in September 2012, two police officers were manhandled when they attempted to cross a road on the COAS’s route. This is utter nonsense, as is the size of the motorcades that accompany the corps (sometimes mistakenly written corpse) commanders (at least he of 5 Corps) when they travel from point to point on roads that are ‘cleared’ for them.

So, these men, paid to protect the lives and livelihoods of the common citizens of Pakistan, have no will or intent to so do. That being so, Hazara Shias and other Shias and all other citizens will continue to be at the non-mercy of the militant groups who have a free hand to murder and maim in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 23rd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>2 LeJ members killed, 4 arrested in Quetta</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511195/2-lej-members-killed-4-arrested-in-quetta</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511195/2-lej-members-killed-4-arrested-in-quetta#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 17:20:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Balochistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511195</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Arrests made during targeted operations against criminal elements.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[Two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) members were killed and four were arrested in a raid in Quetta, BBC reported on Friday.

The government, in the aftermath of Quetta bombing that killed 89 people on February 16, had started a targeted operation in the city.

Around 170 suspects were arrested during several raids and government vowed to continue with the crackdown until all the elements involved in terrorist activities were arrested.

The LeJ had claimed responsibility for the attacks.

The members of the group have been protesting in Karachi and Quetta against the killing of LeJ members.

Earlier today, LeJ chief Malik Ishaq was also detained in Rahim Yar Khan district jail.]]>
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			<title>LeJ leader Malik Ishaq detained in Rahim Yar Khan jail</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511115/lej-leader-malik-ishaq-detained-in-rahim-yar-khan-jail</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/511115/lej-leader-malik-ishaq-detained-in-rahim-yar-khan-jail#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 13:54:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[web.desk]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=511115</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[LeJ chief denies role in recent attack on Hazara community in Quetta, calls it a government failure.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[Top leader of the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Malik Ishaq was detained for one month on Friday, Express News reported.

Ishaq was earlier detained in his house, however since the Quetta bombing that killed 89 people on February 16, the police have  detained him in the Rahim Yar Khan district jail.

Those killed in the attack mostly included members of the Hazara Shia community. The LeJ claimed responsibility for the bombing.

Before being detained, Ishaq held a press conference and declared the Quetta bombing a government failure.

Denying any role in the terror attack, Ishaq said every time the Shia community is attacked, LeJ is wrongly blamed.

Four FIRs were registered against the LeJ leader during the last three months alone in the district of Khanewal.

Earlier this week another senior LeJ leader Ghulam Rasool was detained in Gujranwala by local police.

Both these detentions have come in the aftermath of the Quetta bombings, particularly after demands for military operations in the province were publicly made.

Last week, Interior Minister Rehman Malik requested the Punjab government to act decisively against the LeJ so that terrorist attacks on Pakistan's Shia minorities could be prevented in the future.

ASWJ, LeJ protests 

The Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), which had been protesting in Karachi over the recent targeted attacks against their members, raids at their affiliated offices in Quetta as well as detention of some members in Punjab, gained impetus when two more of their colleagues were gunned down in Karachi on Friday.

The ASWJ protesting at Nagan Chowrangi in the city after mid-day prayers, however, after news of the murder of their colleagues reached the demonstrators, protests also erupted at Qaidabad, Lasbela and Sohrab Goth. The protesters also blocked traffic.

ASWJ spokesperson Maulana Saeed Akbar Farooqi though told The Express Tribune that the protests were peaceful, and all members of the ASWJ have been directed to maintain decorum and not force businesses to close.

Meanwhile, protests by the LeJ and the ASWJ were reported from different parts of the country, including Quetta.]]>
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			<title>Hazara Town Blast: Critically injured victims shifted to Karachi</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510954/hazara-town-blast-critically-injured-victims-shifted-to-karachi</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510954/hazara-town-blast-critically-injured-victims-shifted-to-karachi#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 06:04:09 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[farhan.sharif]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[victims of the recent Hazara Town blast were shifted to Karachi via a special Pakistan Air Force plane.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Around 37 critically injured victims of the recent Hazara Town blast were shifted to Karachi via a special Pakistan Air Force plane early Thursday morning; however, one of them succumbed to her injuries soon after being admitted to a hospital.


The survivors have been admitted to two hospitals.

“Thirty-three victims were shifted in the Aga Khan University Hospital, while four were moved to the Liaquat National Hospital,” said Executive District Health Officer Karachi Dr Imdadullah Siddiqui.  The government of Sindh has decided to provide financial assistance for treatment, Siddiqui said.

Meanwhile, responding to reports of the Australian government offering asylum to 2,500 Hazara families of Pakistan, the Australian High Commission in Islamabad stated there were no new arrangements for any particular ethnicity or people from a particular part of any country. (With additional input by News Desk)

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2013.]]>
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			<title>Hazara Town massacre case: No precise information given on blast, says police</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510951/hazara-town-massacre-case-no-precise-information-given-on-blast-says-police</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/510951/hazara-town-massacre-case-no-precise-information-given-on-blast-says-police#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 22 Feb 13 05:49:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[mudassir.raja]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Attorney general submits ‘confidential’ federation response.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Quetta police have denied being cautioned about the second attack on the city’s Shia Hazara community, telling the Supreme Court on Thursday that no ‘specific’ information was shared with them by intelligence agencies.


Information shared by the intelligence agencies with the police is always sketchy and in pieces, Capital City Police Officer Quetta Mir Zubair said, adding that in the case of the February 16 bomb blast, the only thing they were told was that more attacks like the one that occurred on January 10 could take place again.

The CCPO was responding to a question raised by a three-member bench of the apex court, which has been hearing a suo motu case on the February 16 attack that killed around 90 Shia Hazaras and came over a month after an attack on their community left over 100 people dead.

After hearing the arguments of the CCPO, the chief justice directed him and Balochistan Home Secretary Akbar Durrani to go through the spy agencies’ reports and submit their response accordingly.

The CCPO further said that law enforcers were unable to avert the attack since the terrorists had changed their modus operandi and exploited the situation of acute water shortage in the locality of Hazara Town. Saturday’s blast occurred when a bomb packed inside a water tanker exploded.

The water tanker was not checked even though there are two FC posts and a police post on the way to Hazara Town, the police officer said.

Meanwhile, an official, appearing on behalf of the FC Quetta commandant, submitted a report on the action the FC had taken on averting such terror incidents in the future.

The Attorney General of Pakistan Irfan Qadir submitted a report on behalf of federation of Pakistan and requested the court to consider it a response from President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. Qadir requested to keep the report confidential.

The court adjourned the hearing till February 26.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2013.]]>
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