Balochistan Chief Minister Dr Abdul Malik Baloch claimed on Saturday that headway had been made in the investigation into Thursday’s wave of terror attacks, including targeted killings of Hazara community members and the suicide attack on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
“There has been progress in the probe into the targeted killings of Hazaras and the attack on Maulana Fazlur Rehman,” Dr Malik told members of the Hazara community at Wali-e-Asar Imambargah where he went to offer condolences to the families of the nine Hazaras who were gunned down in the Hazarganji neighbourhood on Thursday.
The chief minister said a search operation was launched in different neighbourhoods of the city soon after the three terrorist attacks and several suspects have been detained for questioning. He did not share the details, saying “we will soon reveal the details of the investigation”.
Dr Malik said he stood by the Hazara community in this moment of grief and assured them of support on behalf of the government. “It was a sad day for us. We are going through a difficult situation in Quetta. There were three major terrorist attacks in a single day,” he said.
The chief minister said collective efforts were needed to fight terrorism as it was impossible for the government alone to eradicate this menace. “We have enhanced security in Quetta for mourning processions during the month of Muharram,” he told the Hazara community.
Leaders of the embattled community, however, said the government has failed to protect the Hazara community, which, they said, was restricted to two neighbourhoods of Quetta.
A member of the Balochistan Assembly and leader of Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), Sayed Raza Muhammad, said there was a visible increase in the presence of religious extremists in Quetta, who, he claimed, were targeting the Hazaras.
“I couldn’t attend the funeral of nine Hazaras as I could not face the bereaved families. I cannot even look into the eyes of these families,” Raza Muhammed told the chief minister. “We have been subjected to targeted killings and bombings right after we migrated and settled here,” he said.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Mehsud faction of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) condemned the suicide attack on JUI-F chief Mualana Fazlur Rehman for which banned extremist group Jundullah had claimed responsibility.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 26th, 2014.
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