Pakistan

Five Hazaras gunned down in Quetta

Unidentified men on two motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire on men sitting outside a tea shop

Mohammad Zafar June 07, 2015

A file photo of relatives mourning after gunmen riding motorcycle opened fire on tyre shop located in Quetta. PHOTO: AFP

QUETTA: At least five people belonging to the Hazara community were gunned down in Quetta’s Circular Road area near Meezan Chowk Sunday evening.

Unidentified armed men on two motorcycles opened indiscriminate fire on the victims outside tea shops.

Four of them died on the spot, while one person was shifted to CMH Quetta, where he succumbed to his injuries.

Bodies of the deceased were shifted to the civil hospital and the CMH. They have been identified as Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Idrees, Kazim, Zeeshan and Nematullah.

Read: Four policemen killed in Quetta gun attack

As news of the attack spread, the main bazaars of Quetta shut down.

Police and FC cordoned the area, and initiated an investigation.

According to police sources, five people were detained for interrogation.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack till the filing of this report.

A large number of men, women and children from the Hazara community, including relatives of the victims staged a protest in Meezan Chowk, and demanded the arrest of the culprits behind the attack.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took notice of yet another incident of targeted killing against the Hazara community and ordered swift arrest of the culprits behind the incident.

In a statement issued on Sunday, he also condoled with the bereaved families for their irreparable loss.

Earlier on May 27, two Hazaras were shot dead near Meezan Chowk.

On Saturday, gunmen shot dead four policemen — including a sub-inspector — in a targeted attack in a troubled suburb of the provincial capital.

Read: Two more Hazaras gunned down in Quetta

The gunmen riding motorcycles pulled up near a police mobile van parked near a post office on Mullah Abdul Salam Road in the Pashtoonabad neighbourhood and shot dead all those on board, according to Abdul Razaq Cheema, the capital city police officer (CCPO).

COMMENTS (20)

Asad | 8 years ago | Reply @Virkaul: Why dont you just google and see who is having which syndrome?

NOOR | 8 years ago | Reply @umar:- Pls , dont give twist to facts to built Utopian narrative, remedies will never be found if causes are not identified. ask any hazara he will tell you that it is not India but so called assets created to counter Bloch insurgents.

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Virkaul | 8 years ago | Reply @PakPower & Umar R, Stockholm Syndrome at its best.

Umar R. | 8 years ago | Reply India just wont let us stay in peace. *smh

PakPower | 8 years ago | Reply @Rajesh: Don't compare apples with oranges. Modi, and many of his cabinet members, were directly involved in the Gujrat riots via the act of complicity (go Google, many of your fellow Indians believe so as well). While this is more of a sectarian violence that has intensified greatly since CPEC was announced. Seems like some parties desperately don't want that project to go through.

Yoddha | 8 years ago | Reply I imagine Mr Sharif knows the drill by now, he must have already taken a serious note of the killings the umpteenth time, serious note without iron clad steps to avoid repetitions in future are meaningless; alas I am afraid these taking of serious notes will go on endlessly.

Bharatiya from Australia | 8 years ago | Reply RIP those innocent souls...Very sad news. Now wait for drama your so called leaders will play starting to point fingers at RAW from India to divert attention of their own inefficiencies. Though should appreciate NS and team have started taking action against 48 seminaries involved in spreading hate and terrorism under Pakistan's nose. But looks like the action is too little too late.

Imran bhatt | 8 years ago | Reply Someone told me Pakistan government is very concerned about the plight of Rohingya Muslims.

Jibran | 8 years ago | Reply The head of FC and the Corps Commander Quetta should be sacked with immediate effect. These two are the de facto rulers of Quetta and Balochistan.

Hassan | 8 years ago | Reply Despite tall claims by provincial and federal governments the killing of minorities is continue and like every incident the prime minister has taken notice of the attack on Hazara community men at Circular Roa in Quetta. The government is still reluctant to launch an operation against madressahs in Pakistan which are responsible for spreading hatred against the minorities specially Shiite muslims. The present government is non-serious to stop the killings of people generally and minorities specially, the shameless & senseless Balochistan govt has completely failed to protect the common men and enjoying all facilities from the taxpayers of this country, similarly the federal govt has do nothing the dilemma is that people like Lal Masjid cleric are free for all and poor people are killing on roads and worship places while the govt is silent. A massive and indiscriminate crackdown against madressahs and clerics is the need of the hour to save the life and property of the minorities. The people now have fed up with the govt and its policies which cannot do anything, if the situation remains the same than no option will be left for minorities except to flee from the country to protect their life.

Paki | 8 years ago | Reply @Rajesh I don't like too many of Indian trolls here. But I have to agree your question is a valid one! We are irrational hypocritic ppl

Hella | 8 years ago | Reply Not sure why the comments above refer to Hazara Muslims as minorities. If Muslims are a minority in Pakistan who exactly is the majority?

syed baqar ahsan | 8 years ago | Reply @Ch. Allah Daad: keep calling them minorities these muslim and other will exploit this mind set,secondly police and intelligence set up remain devoid of their responsibility by put it in sectarian killing.Ch sahib have a heart.

ghazal | 8 years ago | Reply number of hazaras killed in Pakistan is 8.5 times more than Burmese Muslims killed in Burma . N S any special fund for them??

Ch. Allah Daad | 8 years ago | Reply Our won track record of protecting minorities is the reason that outside world show no respect to our voices.

Wali | 8 years ago | Reply Shocking and despicable. And here we have our government and politicians trying to protect rohingya muslims in Burma when they can not protect or even stand up for the minorities in Pakistan.

Fi | 8 years ago | Reply How many dead bodied do we need to start the crack down against hate preaching banned organisations? The irony is that they are now aspiring to go international by killing a specific sects, all in the name of the religion.

Rajesh | 8 years ago | Reply If Modi was responsible for allowing killing of minorities, why is Nawaz Sharif not equally responsible for killing of minorities in Pakistan ??????

Imran | 8 years ago | Reply It is very sorry state of affairs and a big failure of political administration, security forces and intelligencia. Perhaps we are still being ruled by somebody other than the political governments from within us or from outside the country. With a PM, a President,most popular party leader, thousands of law enforcement personnel, even more innocent civilians and school children killed we are still chasing shadows. Our biggest failure is that we still are not sure what is happening around us and who is responsible, real solution can only follow.

Lord | 8 years ago | Reply Do take care of Burmese muslim but what about these minorities. Please think.

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