‘Massacre of Shias should stop right now’
Rights activists call for immediate action against extremism.
ISLAMABAD:
Rights activists and religious leaders held a protest on Friday to raise their voice against the massacre of Shia passengers in the Lulusar area in Naran Valley last week.
The protest, organised by the Majlis-i-Wahadatul Muslimeen (MWM), began after Friday prayers at Markazi Imambargah, G-6, from where the protesters rallied towards China Chowk chanting slogans against violence.
Addressing the gathering, MWM Deputy General Secretary Allama Asghar Askari criticised the government for failing to arrest the culprits behind the horrific incident and for failing adequate security to passengers en route to Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
“The entire Shia community has been deeply shocked by the unending spate of target killings. The government seems to be concerned over peacocks dying in Sindh but gives no importance to people mercilessly killed by extremists,” he commented.
He criticised the government for doing nothing apart from issuing media statements and said that the C-130 service promised earlier was suspended just two days after it started.
He warned that countrywide agitation would begin if the government kept ignoring extremism and target killings of Shia Muslims.
On August 16, over a dozen gunmen forced 19 passengers, mostly Shias, off four buses and shot them at point blank range, the third such incident in six months. Soon after this, an undeclared curfew was imposed in Gilgit — the capital city of G-B — on Wednesday after three people were killed and two others were injured in what appeared to be an incident of sectarian violence.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2012.
Rights activists and religious leaders held a protest on Friday to raise their voice against the massacre of Shia passengers in the Lulusar area in Naran Valley last week.
The protest, organised by the Majlis-i-Wahadatul Muslimeen (MWM), began after Friday prayers at Markazi Imambargah, G-6, from where the protesters rallied towards China Chowk chanting slogans against violence.
Addressing the gathering, MWM Deputy General Secretary Allama Asghar Askari criticised the government for failing to arrest the culprits behind the horrific incident and for failing adequate security to passengers en route to Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).
“The entire Shia community has been deeply shocked by the unending spate of target killings. The government seems to be concerned over peacocks dying in Sindh but gives no importance to people mercilessly killed by extremists,” he commented.
He criticised the government for doing nothing apart from issuing media statements and said that the C-130 service promised earlier was suspended just two days after it started.
He warned that countrywide agitation would begin if the government kept ignoring extremism and target killings of Shia Muslims.
On August 16, over a dozen gunmen forced 19 passengers, mostly Shias, off four buses and shot them at point blank range, the third such incident in six months. Soon after this, an undeclared curfew was imposed in Gilgit — the capital city of G-B — on Wednesday after three people were killed and two others were injured in what appeared to be an incident of sectarian violence.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2012.