Attacks on Hazaras: As pressure mounts, govt stumbles into ‘action’

Over 100 suspects have been detained in the wake of Tuesday’s killings.

QUETTA: Police rounded up over 100 suspects during raids carried out in different parts of Quetta early on Wednesday morning.

The government has come in for scathing criticism for its inability to stop attacks on the Hazara community in Balochistan – the latest of which claimed 14 lives on Tuesday in a bus ambush near Quetta. The criticism has come not only from the opposition but from within its own ranks.

First it was Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) parliamentarian from Quetta Syed Nasir Ali Shah, who was then joined by the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The PML-N walked out of the house to express solidarity with Shah, who was protesting against the government’s failure to curb sectarian killings.

In addition to the PML-N, members from the ruling PPP – former federal minister Ayatullah Durrani and Zafar Ali Shah – also joined Nasir Ali Shah in his protest against the government. Shah called the parliament a “rubber stamp” and a day earlier had called for governor rule in Sindh and Balochistan.

Members of the treasury benches should be ashamed of the fact that their party member was protesting against them, PML-N’s Makhdoom Javed Hashmi said.

Shia organisations including Shia Ulema Council, Azadara Council, Majlis Wahadatul Muslimeen and Hazara Democratic Party have called for a period of mourning. A partial strike was also carried out in Marriabad, Hazara Town and other areas.

Provincial Ombudsman Akbar Baloch took suo motu action in the aftermath of the attack, asking the Inspector General Police Balochistan and Commissioner Quetta to provide a report of the incident within a week.

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has asked President Asif Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani to take personal action against sectarian violence in Quetta.

Over in Balochistan, the authorities seemed to have woken up from their slumber following the mounting criticism.

Aside from the arrest of over 100 suspects, Minister for Interior Rehman Malik on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting attended by senior politicians and police. The meeting called for regulation of Shia pilgrimages to Iran to ensure their protection. The Inspector General of Balochistan said that protection to pilgrims traveling from Quetta to Iran is already being provided.

The Hazara community has also been asked to inform police before making long journeys. “There are 400,000 Hazara people living in Quetta. It is difficult to provide foolproof security for such a large number of people,” Capital City Police Officer Quetta Ashen Mehboob told The Express Tribune.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 6^th, 2011.