Once again the Quetta city sheds tears in shame for deaths of innocent Hazara community, who are well-known for their sincerity, virtuousness and loyalty to democratic structure and Pakistan's constitution. And thousands of people from this community have set to mourn their shot family members and relatives within past few weeks, while the rest of people enjoy and are busy with spring celebrations in and around the country.
On Thursday, April 13, four unknown men, riding on two motorbikes, shot dead three Hazara shopkeepers and injured one at the heart of the city and in a very crowded location. Three of the victims had tea shops and one a fruit juice hut.
They were shot right at the heads which show cruelty and nastiness of the shooters. Right after the incident, Lashkar-e-Jhangavi, an illegal outfit, responsible for most targeted killings of Hazara community, proudly claimed the responsibility and voiced out that its elements carried out the attack.
Just three days before Thursday's attack, six people from the same community were killed and three others injured as result of firings by four assailants similarly riding on motorbikes on a bus boarded mostly by innocent and common Hazara civilians. Noteworthy to notice that just within past two weeks, around twenty people from Hazara community have been shot dead.
The most horrendous and inhuman targeted killings occurred last year when 25 Hazara passengers on their way to Iran were singled out from the rest of people on board and brought down, lined up and all were shot dead by unknown armed men. Just hours before the incident, their families received phone calls and assurance that they were escorted by Federal Intelligence Agency (FIA) guys, as some of the families of the assassinated individuals claimed.
I used to stay in Quetta city for almost four years. I am well aware of its social structure and political issues there. Though since last year, target killings have increased tremendously, but definitely it is not a new born phenomenon in conservative society of Pakistan.
Though I have not followed chronically the process of radicalization of the society and when exactly sectarian mentality crept in, but there is one for sure and that is it has been a decade that Hazara community has been the main victim and target of extremist and terror outfits.
Most of these groups have appeared years, perhaps, decades after Pakistan separation from a bigger body, subcontinent. Though Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, in his first and historic speech announced Pakistan as democratic and secular country, but regional rivalry and the very reason for establishment of an Islamic country paved the way for development and establishment of an Islamic country.
Most of these groups have linkages with culprits from within the government. They were not deemed as potential threat to the ruling political establishment. Thousands of Madressahs have been established without any assessment and supervision of public or private institutions. There was no much public awareness about the curriculum and syllabus of those who are studying in religious Madressahs funded generally by networks in Gulf countries.
The animosity between Pakistan and India further complicated the situation as intelligent and military establishments supported these networks in order to win over India. During decades, religious schools have been out of the reach and security forces were not allowed to check up inside.
Religious scholars held deep influence and they were preaching everywhere that they found suitable themselves. There were reports about religious scholars standing in rush circles and on squares preaching their ideology without care whether people listen to them or not. Radical and fundamentalist organizations like Sepah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangavi and etc. exploited the situation and propagated their ideology. Now the country has turned 180 degree to what Mohammad Ali Jinah wanted to make of Pakistan. It increasingly has changed its way from a secular democratic culture to a radical and Shariah dominated one. The society started getting intolerant and tense.
I can vividly remember a notice of a Pakistani American citizen making nostalgia about democratic fabric of the society decades ago. "Girls were allowed to go to school without wearing a veil", mentioned in the notice. Arab-like Burqa increasingly replaced the Panjabi style, and women in jeans increasingly find hard to appear in public places. They are maltreated by women in Burqa who are, unfortunately and unintentionally, digging grave for themselves by their own hands through preaching radicalism and extremism.
Anyhow, the foreign policy of security establishments and security crisis and political instability in the neighboring Afghanistan worked hand in hand to empower extremist groups. As I noticed that religious Madressahs worked, perhaps, works without accountability to government. It is not asked how they provide their expenditures and what they are teaching in those so-called religious schools.
Thousands of poor children forced to leave Afghanistan joined those religious schools which were financed by regional Islamic countries or organizations. The increasing number of such religious schools fuelled tense religious antagonism, the phenomenon whose principle victims are Hazara community.
Religious minorities were marginalized from social, political and economic spheres. Shia and Sunni differences spirally mounted. Though, just walking on the streets, there are a lot of placard saying "Sunni and Shia are brothers", but both sects view each other with suspicion.
Shia's religious ceremonies come mostly under attacks. Each year, tens of people lose lives while celebrating the death of grandson of Prophet Mohammad, Imam Hussein, around the country, but the problem for Hazara community is multiple. Firstly, they are easily differentiable for the rest of communities due to Mongolian facial features. Thus, terror groups can easily single out and attack them.
Secondly, Hazara community is a small community and they have remained secluded—never could align with Pashtun and Baloch—two bigger communities staying in Balochistan. They do not have generally high position in government hierarchical structure. Some who had were forced to resign due to civil hatred from the corrupt federal government.
Federal security forces have been always blamed for their loose action to protect the community or even linkage with those who are targeting them. Somehow, the claims are true. How is it possible for relatively strong establishments to be unable to apprehend a single individual regarding the series of target killings and massacre of Hazaras? This is dubious and freaking.
Assailants in the public surrounded by hundreds of people, some of them without wearing masks, open fires and kill innocent Hazaras yet no news are heard of them. Then there must be something wrong whether security forces are not doing their jobs or circles from within the government are complicit.