Women and children from the Shia community, students from Imamia Students Organizations and students from Gilgit-Baltistan participated in the 3 hours long sit-in, which blocked part of Davis road.
Muhammad Ali Johri was at the protest, grieving for his nephew who was killed on April 2 at Chilas. Johri said his nephew Ruhullah Razvi had left him in Islamabad last week and insisting on traveling to Skardu via road and told his uncle “Everything will be fine, we are all Muslims, no harm will come to me.”
Johri said, eye witnesses told him that Ruhullah was stoned and then thrown in the river. The young man’s body was recovered from the river yesterday.
Chanting slogans against government, judiciary and the media, emotionally charged protesters tried to forcibly enter the Lahore Press Club. Speaking to The Express Tribune Sakina Mehdvi from the MWM questioned media silence on the issue.
“Why is the media not covering this incident? Has Pakistan become the next Gaza or the next Bahrain?” she asked.
Haider Ali Musavi, Imam of the Mochi Darwaza mosque in Lahore said “The government should ensure that there is an alternative route, instead of the Chilas town.” Musavi added that “there is no sectarian issue in Pakistan, people live peacefully in their neighborhoods, but there is a small group affiliated with an organization which spreads unrest.”
Security at the protest in Lahore was provided by the police and there were volunteers from the Shia community who formed human chains around the sit-in.
COMMENTS (17)
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Very very unfortunate. This monster of evil and narrow mindedness is out of control. Intrestingly the state seems to care the least for the minority sects. I hope they open the eyes before its too late as nothing can be sharper than a blind revenge which will be directed towards the very institutions that should have been protecting these vulnarable people and their rights. I hope Pakistani establishment opens there eyes before the fire reaches the very places they and the people backing them sit!
The culprits of Kohistan and Chilas genocide are Khawarijits and they are friends of Dajal. When the media become silence on one particular issue or region it means Dajal (Antichrist) has something to do with it ! media in Pakistan is control by the same people who own media in the whole world! Dajal will meet his end inshallah!
Great coverage Rabia. Kudos to you for covering what most of the Pakistani media has ignored. Word must get out about the Shia genocide taking place in Gilgit, Baluchistan and the rest of Pakistan.
@ Kashmirian: For me there is no such thing as black or white, hindu or muslim, Shia or Sunni, it is an issue of human life and human dignity. I am looking at the suffering of the people of G-B.
Peoples of Gilgit-Baltistan are seriously demanding the govt that if they cant protect them then leave them to re affiliation with any other country like india or china etc. or open the kargil road for get there daily usage from karduil instead of Pindi through chilas Road. now its up to the Govt that might they fix there RIT of the Govt in Chilas and KKH road or open the kargil road.
Cutting the body of innocent passengers, beating the body by stone till death and other nonhuman activity; we looked in that incident.
@dv sikka:
I dont know when the black indians will stop having dreams of annexing areas of people who are superior in racial terms to them.
@Rajendra Rana : Absolutely correct, I don't know when will Muslims change their attitude.
@Jaff Syed: You have summed the issue man .Good.
“Everything will be fine, we are all Muslims, no harm will come to me.” so harm will come only to nonMuslims
Why not give G-B to India, muslims do not kill each other there.
"We are all Muslims". That is the problem and everyone has their own bias towards other Muslim! What a curse on mankind?! There is no rationality and sanity with these bigots.
Rabia deserves kudos for highlighting a protest,and a brutal incident ,over which,the whole Pakistani media is silent and has closed their eyes!the media is supporting the hate crimes and sectarian violence by remaining silent over the target killing and shia genocide in Pakistan which has picked up speed like never before.Each day brings news of young,talented,innocent boys being targeted and killed only for the crime of being a shia!and the media has brushed all such incidences under the carpet!so much for the claim of Pakistani media being ''free and non-biased''!
@ Sharay Khan - This violence wasnt there when shia & sunni's were living together with peace. Its these idiots who were inducted in Afghan war in the name of jihad and they became the third party who now actually re killing shia and sunni;s both. For them shia's re wrong for all reasons and sunni's re wrong because they call Ya Rasool Allah. They re so powerful because they had worked with ISI and Alqaida and now they re simply killing innocent people in the name of religion. Shia's re not even fighting with them, you would hardly see any of their person killed in reply. Its just they re manipulating and hiding themselves behined true sunni;s by making their party as " Ahl e sunnat wal jamaat" and claiming to be real sunni's and hence killing them too. They re being used by India/Israel/America and Saudia..against Pakistan India/Israel/America has their strategic or geographic interests in pakistan while Saudia has religious as they feel they can harm Iran by killing shia's. Please we should make our people aware that no matter what the religious difference is, killing someone should not be justified. I am fearing a civil war if all shia's would take arms in hands and would fight openly. Because they think they will die anyways so what if ll kill any of them before dying? and that would be so bad for out country. Please condem such killings and terrorists and their supporters.
Hats off to Rabia to make an effort to atleast show this.It takes a lot of courage and guts to do this in current scenario. Please continue your work in such way for humanity. not just for shia's or any specific community..for all innocent ones who are being killed in pakistan in the name of religion. May Allah be with you. Thanks.
This sectarian violence has been going on for decades in our country. One sect's militants throw grenades at a gathering of the other sect and the other sect's militants open fire on passengers. Then over 30 people are kidnapped and so on and on the vicious cycle continues.
When will our people realise that they won't be able to kill each other off completely and at the end of it all, they'll have to learn to live and co-exist with each other.
Allowing religion to take over one's lives brings extreme self-righteousness and intolerance of the other.
'' Men never commits evil so fully and joyfully as when they do it for religious convictions.''
Blaise Pascal