Quetta violence: Hazara protesters demand governor’s rule in Balochistan

Demonstrators condemned govt’s failure to protect their community.

QUETTA:

Scores of women took to the streets in Quetta on Tuesday to condemn the target killings of members of the Hazara community. The protesters demanded that governor‘s rule be imposed in Quetta, as the government had failed to curb violence against their community.

The procession, organised by Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM), culminated at the Hazara graveyard in Quetta where they raised slogans against the government and law enforcement agencies for their failure to curb target killings.

MWM General Secretary Sayed Yusuf Agha said the provincial government was not sincere in maintaining law and order in Balochistan, where killers had a free hand.

“The Hazara community demands the imposition of governor rule in the province,” he said.

The women were carrying placards and banners inscribed with slogans like “Stop the genocide of the Hazara community. End target killing.”

The protesters offered Fateha at the graveyard for those killed in the recent wave of attacks against the community in the province.

The Hazara community has been protesting for the past one week demanding that the government take action against the target killers. As many as 19 people belonging to the community have been killed in targeted attacks in Quetta over the past one week.

Stringent security measures have been adopted in and around Quetta including large deployment of Frontier Corps (FC) personnel, police, Balochistan Levies personnel and other law enforcement agencies following the recent spate of target killings.

The government also extended a ban on pillion riding and the display of arms in the city. Hundreds of motorcyclists were detained over violating the ban.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 18^th, 2012.