KARACHI:
On January 3, a painful tragedy took place in Machh district of Balochistan when unidentified gunmen kidnapped 11 coal miners belonging to the Hazara community and slaughtered them in nearby mountains. The IS has claimed responsibility for the barbarous attack.
The Hazara community of Balochistan has long been persecuted for their belief. Over the last two decades, they have continuously been falling victim to targeted attacks and bombings. The Machh incident is the latest in a long series of such brutal targeted attacks. In April last year, a suicide bomber had killed 18 people in a marketplace, half of whom were Hazaras. In 2013, three bombings had left more than 200 people dead in a Hazara neighbourhood in Quetta. In January 2020, a suicide bomber had targeted a snooker club frequented by Hazaras in Quetta.
Unfortunately, the Hazaras community has no other option but to stage a peaceful sit-in in a bid to attract the attention of the government towards their plight. This time too, they have been staging a sit-in for three days under freezing temperatures, and have refused to bury their dead unless justice is done to them. They call upon the government to immediately arrest those involved in the Machh incident and take serious steps to stop their killing and ensure their rights as citizens of Pakistan.
It is about time the government and law enforcers took strict steps to ensure life security to the Hazaras.
Ali Gul Leghari
Dadu
Published in The Express Tribune, January 7th, 2021.
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