Three Shias, five others gunned down in Balochistan
According to police officer Zakir Ali all three of them were killed in a sectarian drive-by shooting.
Balochistan is a flashpoint for sectarian violence involving majority Sunnis and minority Shias that has left thousands dead since the 1980s.
Earlier late Sunday, gunmen shot dead five people in attacks on two buses in Bolan as rebels staged a strike to mark the death anniversary of tribal chieftain Nawab Akbar Bugti, officials said.
According to police official Iftikhar Bugti, five people including two women were killed in the incident.
There was a “complete strike” in Quetta and several other districts on Sunday, local police chief Wazir Khan told AFP, with shops and markets closed and traffic brought to a standstill.
The halt was called by Balochistan Republican Party (BRP) leader Brahmdagh Bugti to mark the sixth anniversary of the death of his grandfather Akbar Bugti, who was killed in his mountain hideout during a military operation in 2006.
BRP spokesman Sarbaz Baloch claimed responsibility for the shooting.
“We had launched an appeal for a complete strike and the buses bound for southern Sindh and central Punjab provinces had ignored our appeal. We therefore opened fire on them,” he said in a telephone call to AFP.
Police and residents said Sunday’s strike was almost complete across the impoverished and insurgency-hit province, with 21 out of 30 districts affected.
People blocked roads and erected barricades in several places on highways leading to Iran, Karachi and other important cities, they said.
The strike was endorsed by other political and religious parties in the province, with around 300 people demonstrating in Quetta to demand the extradition and trial of former military ruler Pervez Musharraf for ordering the operation in 2006.
Baloch rebels rose up in 2004, demanding political autonomy and a greater share of profits from the oil, gas and mineral resources in the region, one of the most deprived in Pakistan.
Bomb blasts and attacks on police and security forces are frequent in the province.
COMMENTS (78)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
@ashok: It is covered; http://tribune.com.pk/story/426847/taliban-behead-17-at-party-in-afghanistan-officials/
@yusuf: Dear brother, Not addressing the issue and pushing it under the carpet will DIVIDE us, tackling it and resolving it will UNITE us, and the first step of tackling is admittance. When blacks were targeted in SA would it be fair to portray it as just human being? when recently muslims are singled out and targeted in Burma would it be fair to just report it as an isolated incident? when muslims were massacred in gujrat would it be fair not to mention that they were muslims? These kinds of killings are the divide and rule tactics, and by some fault of outsiders and most fault of ours we have willingly produced these animals who are doing such acts, and we will further make these tactics successfully if we don't admit it and do not uproot it. I am saying this not just because our brothers of good and bad times are killed but more so for my own interest as these people will keep on killing if not stopped. You can take these news as an eye opener or as sectarianism, it’s your choice! Sincerely.
@Hardliner: You are upset at how the news was presented, not at the innocent loss of lives.
If your brother was killed (God forbid), would your concern be at the loss of an innocent life and to condemn the ideology / organization behind it......or.....how the news of the death was presented.
Please don't be completely hardhearted.
@Heavy:
Ofcourse it is necessary for ET to mention they were Shias or Sunnis......... after all, what else do u suppose would make a regular news sensational.......??
De-Weaponize
@Iftikhar Khan: Come on brother talk some sense. How by the help of giving the story a title like this can help? All I can see is secterianism being promoted, as you can well read in the above comments... One who is gone is being labeled on his sect, rather than being a human being, a fellow Pakistani! This is indeed the saddest part. Many of us talking about all the history studied in school, what about the "DIVIDE AND RULE"?? Woh sab bhool gaye kia? We don't need to wake up brother, instead we need to open our minds and think beyond what is being fed in our brains through media, the most powerful way of exploiting us..
@londonistani:
Way to disown Jinnah who lead the creation for the homeland for Muslims of the Indian sub-continent i.e. Pakistan. Guess there shouldn't be a surprise to see how some in the privileged majority ungratefully and quickly kick Jinnah's vision to the curb, who don't view him as either Muslim or Pakistani, to impose their own sectarian or ideological hegemony and rule.
SAD was condemning Wahhabis. Instead you justify them and make it sound like they're the majority and its their Pakistan to hi-jack...which probably is becoming the case as liberal and moderate Sunnis thin out and give in to the extremist creep.
@yusuf: Why do you want to keep living in fools paradise? nobody will be safe if don't do anything NOW, and the first step for doing something is to identify it. The journalist/newspaper who published this did so at the great risk to himself... WAKE UP will ya!
Whats with the Indian commenting here ? Why they are talking against Two nation theory when their own country is facing racial discrimination. Before commenting about Pakistan, ,like any pseudo analyst have a look at your own country especially North Eastern part.
IMHO, the only way to stop Shia massacre is to deal strictly with those so-called molvis who brainwash these terrorists into killing Shias.
@syed:
absolutely not!!!!
current state of pakistan is the vision of muslim league and peoples party.
this is not the 'pakistan', people of bengal, punjab, sindh, baloch, nwfp and kashmir were promised.
I hate how media is making headlines like these, I mean like 3>5others.. their purpose is being served anyways, the number of comments and a long debate it has ignited amongst the posters!! Hats off ET, a job well done!! Just to get more people commenting on your story, you don't realize how many more lives can a title like this put at risk!! CHEAP JOURNALISM!!!! I'M DISAPPOINT
@londonistani: "...because one million muslims did not loose there life for Jinnahs Pakistan, they lost their lives for the muslims Pakistan."
and this is your vision of 'muslim's Pakistan'??
"Love for all Hatred for none" is the only way forward for Pakistan. May the departed REST IN PEACE
@londonistani: @Zeta and others,
If they were killed in the name of being sunni then yes it should be mentioned, if it is random terrorism then as bad as it is but they still not the specific target, they were unfortunate to be in the wrong place... by the law of probability most of those five probably were sunnis or some mix of fiqh/ethinicity.
It appears from your comments that you are either be of the same or similar views as talibans and really don't care or even agreed with the slow genocide of shia muslims. OR you in your heart want some sunni muslims to also be killed this way so that you don't have any load on consience.
@Zeta: simply because they were not killed because they were SUNNIs, but because they were punjabis in balochistan. who knows, one among them might have been shia, the other ahmadi, but since, they were killed for their ethnicity, and not their sect, so ET is not highlighting their sect.
You are really promoting sectarianism ET. If you can name Shias, why not extend same courtesy to Sunnis.
A country that was founded to protect the Muslim minority of south asia.. is today unable to protect it's own minority. What a Shame.!! Stop using the narrative that minorities in India also suffer in the same way. It's utter nonsense.. and Pakistani propaganda. If Muslims in India are facing discrimination then why are they not fleeing to Pakistan..? Muslims of India know how to solve their problems. But Hindus of Pakistan do not have the freedom to solve their problems
@Heavy: They are right to print this news. Pakistan and the World needs to know the barbaric acts and attrocities committed by pseudo salfi/wahabis againt minorities. World conscious needs to be awoken up and humanity needs to be saved
I protest this violence against muslim brothers. Down with buddhist of burma! "The world should pay attention to the genocide(200-300 killed) of muslim in Burma". I will burn a tyre in protest.
Express Tribune & like minded "Media" should stop this propaganda
@Jadugar: If there is a bomb in mosque which is not shia or road killing and if the person is no shia then why newspapers don't publish, bomb in sunni mosque??? I think right now everyone is victim in Pakistan and yes everyone is culprit as well. Highlighting only one group as victim wont solve things, especially when our president and many govt/parliament are also shia.
@SAD: Jinnah did not take out a shovel and bulldozer and bricks to create pakistan. jinnah did not built the nation. Jinnah did not loose his family in the riots of 47. Pakistan does not belong to Jinnah or Jinnah's successors. Pakistan belongs to the people of pakistan. Pakistan was founded in the name of islam, and the rule of islam shall prevail in the land of pakistan, because one million muslims did not loose there life for Jinnahs Pakistan, they lost their lives for the muslims Pakistan.
3 shias and five others gunned down 1 ahmadi and 10 others gunned 2 hindus and 6 others gunned down
who are these OTHERS,
hmmmm i am going to make a very vague guess.........sunni muslims?????
I agree, but first we must protest about the massacre of Muslims in Burma, Palestine, Assam, Gujrat, Afghanistan, Iraq etc. Everything else comes after this. We can protest about Ahmedis, Shias later.
@Indian Catholic: Beautiful thought, but these guys are dense, they wouldn't get it, they need to experience hell, to know hell, they give Islam a bad name.
@ Indian Catholic
You belong to such a great secular country, don't you know a thing or two about legacy?
In your esteemed country, people like Vinayak Damodar Savarkar and hedgewar may be gone, but their legacy remains in the name of various hindu nationalist organizations and ideology.
Zia's legacy remains in Pakistan and has convinced many people that his was the right path. That is why liberals of Pakistan criticize him and actually his legacy.
@Midhat: Please read the article again. ET is reporting two separate incidents; one is sectarian and the other is random firing by our BLP brothers.
You know what makes me even more sick? . Bad enough people are dying like flies, but why this charade of blaming Zia? Zia died and was buried 24 years ago. You people are living in the present. If you really want things to change, why don't you be the change you want to be? . You people are hypocrites conveniently hiding behind a dead man who can no longer speak while encouraging hatred at the same time.
@arqum: Your hate against the Shias is quite obvious.
Jinnah, a Shia, created Pakistan & the Wahabis opposed him. Called him Kafir e Azam.
Now these Wahabis want to take over & destroy Pakistan.
@Adharsh: "Three Shias and five Sunnis!"
Sunnis were not killed by the Shias. Sunnis were victims of BRP for not obeying their orders for strike.
Really? Three Shias and five others? Really? Tell me more. Tell me about the other five. What sect did they belong to? Be thorough now journalists, be comprehensive. Tell me one of them was a sunni? a barelwi? what was he? and the remaining 4? Tell me, tell us about their school of thought please, their belief. Oh you specifically mentioned the three shias, I demand to know about the rest.
Three shias and five others? really? you will come down to this level now? mention the religious beliefs of the other five please. be thorough. be comprehensive come on. who were the other 5? tell me, tell us?
Shias are welcome in India !! Please allow them to cross over the Wagah border.
In India, they will have the freedom to do to follow their practices provided they don't choose to flaunt their victimhood status.
In India, if you have good command of English along with good qualification, you will become successful. You should use this success to help others !
normal day in Pakistan.
To all those who are against publishing these news, All I have to say is that take them for your own protection, take them as awakening your consience, as if you don't stop them now they are going to come after you as well, no body will be safe from this fire already this group have started calling everyone else as kafir... these are not sectarian killing but rather they are hate killings, it is an insult to sunnis to call these animals as sunnis. Simply not publishing these news will not make them disappear. If the motive of the crime is to kill someone for just being shia then it is the responsibility of the journalist to mention that. Just like the motive of the other killing was to implement the strike call by the BRP and the unfortunate vitims (may Allah bless their souls) could be anyone.
Some how it appears from some comments that inside they wish that the other five victims are sunnis..... brothers, don't think of it this way dissassociate yourself from hate mongers and demand justice for your own longer term security.
This is so heartbreaking to say but after looking at the situation and helplessness of shias I want to say that I wish Pakistan never came into being. We would have been much safer! aaaah so sad:'( ...never wanted to say that but I realise now it would have been much better place for shia Muslims :'(
all hail wahabi republic of pakistan!!
if same people are killed time and again by these animals why should we not mention word shias....tribune has courage to mention it
Thank you ET for mentioning 'Shia' otherwise people will not be aware of the fact that a shia genocide is taking place in this country. Why we say Burmese 'Muslims' when we protest because at that time we hypocrites know what is the reason for innocent killing but we deny to accept the fact that the killing of above mentioned people is done because they were SHIA. Accept it, hypocrites!
@kanwal: Agree...only one fanatical Yazeedi Sunni sect is responsible. Most of the Sunnis are respectful & tolerant of others
@ Adharsh since you have mentioned 5 sunnis, Where these Sunnis targeted because of their beliefs or where they killed for some other reason, You should have better understanding of motive then what you seem to demonstrate. The word would be a safer place.
Who were the five others? if they were not Shia (probably Sunnis) why the headline specifically mentioned "3 Shias and five others"
Why couldn't it read "5 Sunnis & three others"?
@Sal:
one such untouchable in my country is SPEAKER of lower house of parliament. and, another such, is current INTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTER(HOME MINISTER). AND, lots of other untouchables are leading a better life, than what they were leading in, say 1947. not all roses, but yes, thorns are certainly disappearing.
Every sort of Congregational prayers should be banned as this is where militants point out who is sunni and who is shia. Since the militants killing both Shias and Sunnis are neither muslims nor humans. Its the artwork of the sick baloch tribals(those who are funded from afghanistan, dubai and india).
@Sal, Everytime an Indian says the two nation theory is flawed as it rests on muslims cannot live with other religious people you bring Gujarat that is 10 year ago riot event ,but you never read news happening in pakistan for the past 1 year atleast where close to 1000 muslims killed by muslims all in 1 year! .
@Omer farooq: Please understand whole issues of killing in Balochistan there are multiple gorunds on which killing is taking place.Both sectarian which targets shias by LeJ and settlers from punjab are targeted Baloch separtists.Keep your facts straight and if you dont know the whole story please dont disinform others.
@Adharsh this shia and sunni division of killed people is done on the basis of the motive behind the killing. If the police beleives the killing to be sectarian motivated, they call it so. otherwise, they label it the way they deem fit. If you cant get it, pls dont comment because it only shows how little you understand. Moreover, it includes ALL the sunnis in one bracket and God knows thats wrong in every sense. Majority of sunni sects in this country are peaceful. The handful who call themselves sunni and do all these atrocities should not be included in any sect as they dont belong to anyone who is human and peaceful citizen of this country. I repeat: thats majority of the sunni sects, except one. Go and read more.
@gp65 intolerance and Jinnah? I dont think so, Nehru, yes! And would you mind doing your own business and cleaning your country from caste killings, Muslim suppression a la Gujarat riots and many stories that never make it to the press? I suggest you let Sikhs, Muslims and above all, the 'untouchables' live freely in YOUR country first before you point fingers at others, what is that saying, about black kettle?
You wish to solve the problem? Consider hate an evil and human life a blessing, pray, practice and preach tolerance.
Everlast, the other five were killed by sunni baloch because they did not obey the strike call. Now still you would call it sectarian?????
Wonder where all those self proclaimed religious patriots went after they started criticising the christian girl and justifying oppression?
May be they are finding references to declare shias kafirs to justify these acts. They have no humanity.
As Edward Gibbon said, Fanaticism obliterates the feelings of humanity.
Great...keep at it, keep destroying yourself. After all you are killing other muslims to please God, no?
@Adharsh: If you are indian then please mind your own business we already have hundreds of mullah who divide us on sectarian ground. If you are not then brother shias of pakistan dont kill innocent sunnis and even after the claim of responsibility from an ethnic group you say 5 sunni.Huh.Be with the oppressed whether oppressed is a nonbeliever.
@Prometheus: "Is this The Pakistan Jinnah had envisioned?"
Well jab boya ped babool ka to aam kahaan se khaooge? Review Jinnah's actions and speeches from 1937 including call for direct action day and even some speeches as late as 1948. With the exception of the one speech on 11th August 1947 they reek of intolerance.
When the nation is founded on the premise that dissimilar people cannot live together in peace and harmony, why are you surprised by what is happening now?
By the way, lest I be accused of being an Indian who has never accepted Pakistan, let me clarify that I am delighted it exists otherwise all these fundos would be in India spreading their poison.
a country born out of hatred for the other will always be like this. as you sow so shall you reap.
Others ? Why is reluctance in reporting non-minority killings ?
its unfortunate to mention any sect just to get attention. Pakistan is already divided into several sects. i condemn this story. it doesn't suit Express Tribune to set headlines. they are destroying their image. I Condemn I Condemn.
ET .. Is it necessary to write Shia in your news, would media please stop to incourage secterian voilence.??
Who were the other five? I guess Sunnis, So that is not sectarian?
Is this The Pakistan Jinnah had envisioned? Was this the treatment he guided us to give to minorities-muslim minorities ironically let alone non muslims? Luckily I am from a majority Muslim community of this country but my heart bleeds to see all this! The plant sowed by History's worst tyrrant General Zia, same nurtured by his illigitimate political sons of ML have brought the Country to this condition-I am surprised to see all so called political parties be it all factions of ML, JI, PTI and major others except for MQM have no condemnations for this never ending onslaught, have they forgotton that shias also vote for them? OR are they too scared of fascists, terrorists majority of with whom either have had political alliances, annexures or will be having the same in the forthcoming elections?. Where are all the BIG Television Anchors who are seen barking in favour of SC under the banner of support to rule of law? Where is Mr. Suo Motto action? Whatever it is its a BIG SHAME ON ALL OF YOU!!!!!
Three Shias and five Sunnis!
Now, let us protest...Not for these people but for Burmese muslims...
Some one Please make the killing stop .
Enough of this religious nonsense ! They are humans first and everything else much much after that !!