Quetta killings: PTI to hold nationwide protests

Imran says army should be deployed in Quetta; MQM condemns attacks.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan has announced country wide protests against the killing of members of the Shia Hazara community in Quetta.

Addressing a press conference, the PTI chief asked President Ali Zardari to tell the nation how many times he had visited Quetta to express solidarity with the victim families of the Hazara community.

“[President] Zardari is enjoying life in a Rs500-million palace, whereas innocent citizens are being butchered on the roads,” said the PTI chief.

According to a press release, Imran said that the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi had accepted the responsibility for the blasts ‘in the name of Islam,’ which, he said, was damaging the image of Islam as well as of the country.

“Sectarian killings in the name of Islam are shameful,” said PTI chief, adding that even after the promulgation of governor’s rule in Balochistan, the government had failed to provide safety to the people. He held the Balochistan governor responsible for Saturday’s blast in Quetta, and said that the government should announce financial support for the aggrieved families. He had also demanded the chief justice to take suo motu notice of the incident.



Imran further said the army could be deployed in Quetta in compliance to the demands of the victim families of Hazara community. Since Governor’s Rule in the province had failed to deliver, there was constitutional provision for deployment of armed forces under Article 245 of the constitution, he said.

The PTI chief further said, “Had the government held mid-term elections, the country would not have been going through such crisis.” He also condemned the brutal killing of a former consultant of Shaukat Khanum Hospital, Dr Haider Ali, and his 12-year-old son, in Lahore on Monday.

The doctor also belonged to the Shia community.

Meanwhile, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) chief Altaf Hussain on Monday called the leader of the Hazara community Mehdi Musa and offered condolences on the massacre of members of his community in Quetta. Mehdi Musa is the son of former Balochistan governor General Musa Khan.

Altaf said that the MQM was establishing contacts with scholars of every shade of religious persuasion so that terrorism and oppression against innocent people could be universally condemned. “I am talking to the religious scholars to play their part to condemn senseless killings of innocent people, and help promote peace,” he said.

Musa thanked Altaf for raising a forceful voice against the continuing persecution of the Hazara community and said that no other leader in the country has spoken so loudly for Shias in the country.

(With additional reporting by our correspondent in Karachi)

Published in The Express Tribune, February 19^th, 2013.