Following the massive targeted attack on Hazara community on Jan, 10, 2013 that left behind 120 killed and several injured, the terror with a water tanker loaded of 800 kilograms of explosive revisited the community on Saturday, 16, Feb, 2013 targeting a busy vegetable market in Kirani road, Hazara town which slaughtered 84 innocent lives and injured more than 200 civilians. Majority of Saturday’s victims were women and children.
As usual, The banned underground Suni armed militant group who has got a close link with Alqa-e- da and Taliban (Lashkar-i-Jhangvi ) claimed responsibility for the blast. Since the last one decade, the underground armed militants such as Lashkar-i-Jangavi and Sepah-e-Sahaba have been claiming the responsibilities of targeted attacks against Shia communities, but unfortunately a single action against these armed groups has not been taken by the government. The ignorance of government has raised questions and the people have come to believe the involvement of state agencies in genocide of a particular minority.
As a result of four days of site in and hunger strike of the Hazara community on January, 2013, the provincial government of Baluchistan was removed and governor rule was imposed so as to assure the citizens of better security measurement. But considering the bloodshed attacks of Saturday, it seems like nothing has changed and the promises of government for security assurance were just throwing dust in eyes. The water still flows into the same stream as it has been for the last decade.
According to the Human Rights Watch report, 2012 was reported the worst for Hazara community which left behind 118 + killed and 100 + injured. Considering the last two massive bloodshed attacks (Jan, 10 and Feb 16, 2013) on Hazara community during the last one month, 2013 is no doubt will be even worse than 2012. New year eve is the sign of hope for change, hope for peace and tranquility, hope for advancement, but for Hazara community, there is no change, they have started the new year shouldering hundreds of their communities members’ dead bodies to graveyard and thinking of expending the capacity of their graveyard and hope the government does help this poor community in terms of providing them land for the expending their graveyard as it is expected to burry many more during the year.
Ideological and racial values have been the main reasons behind the genocide of Hazara ethnic throughout the region particular in Quetta Baluchistan of Pakistan since the last one decade. Harazas are well known of their hard work, dedication to civilization obedient of constitution among the Pakistani citizens. There are around a million Hazaras living in Pakistan. They have dedicated holy services for Pakistan since the establishment of the state and have achieved gold medals on behalf of Pakistan in different areas of education, sport, civil and army services.
They have been one of the most constitutional obedient citizens. In reward to all efforts of their dedication to state constitution, they have never demanded more than just security assurance by the government of Pakistan. But unfortunately, the state security establishments have terribly failed to guarantee the basic human rights of civilians and the poor community of Hazara minority has been paying the price of their racial and ideological believes since 1998
Waves of targeted attacks on minority communities such as Hazara ethnic in Pakistan have raised questions about the nature of these crimes. Some analysts label them as a wave of sectarian violence between Shias and Sunnis while others warn of a systematic genocide of this ethnic minority. The blurred scene on the screen is confusing, because the government officials have been trying to label the incidents noting more than sectarian conflicts, but considering the attack scenes in Baluchistan where the members of Hazara ethnic minority are being selectively distinguished and slaughtered brutally is beyond sectarian conflicts.
Because, it is not only Hazaras who believe in Shia sect. So, why are the Hazaras targeted only? And what is the Pakistani government doing to protect minority groups? Despite the clarity of the scenes and claiming the responsibilities of the targeted attacks on Shia communities by the outfit religious armed groups in the country such as Lashka –re-Jangavi and Sepah-e- Sahabeh, the security establishments of the country have not taken any practical initiations to protect the minorities yet.
The community was long being planned to be pushed behind the walls of misfortunes by targeting them during different occasions. The community had been experiencing frequent attacks during the era of 1998 to 2011, but the targeted attacks on this poor community crossed the normal range since May, 02, 2011, when the leading master mind of Alqa-e-da network (Osama bin Laden) was assassinated in Pakistan by US Special Forces. Following his death, the LeJ spokesman from an unidentified location who identified himself as Ali Sher Haideri threatened to avenge the killing of their leader Osma bin Laden and the poor Hazara community members and localities were the first revenge attacks’ victims.
The community has lost about 100 of their beloved members as a result of several attacks since May, 02, 2011. The victims of the incidents are mainly women, children, political leaders, civil service clerks, business men, students and teachers. Since May, 02, 2011, there is no single day which is not the witness of Hazaras shedding tear for losing their beloved community members and the case story of Hazara community has been one of the tope headlines of Pak Medias.
The scenarios in Pakistan are quite distressing; the leaders instead of forming strategic solutions to get the state out danger are more struggling to defend their seats. Viewing the round tables on Pakistani Medias, we can note nothing else except a sort of political war and participants of the talks have got nothing else rather than blaming each other. The state is burning in sectarian and ideological fire and the leaders are busy of campaigning for the safety of their seats. There is no single part of the country where civilians can feel comfortable free of death threats and every single minutes of civilians’ life is ebing passed in fear.
The failing security arrangements have created fear among the civilians in Pakistan, especially in Baluchistan province which has daily been witnessing deadly civilian targeted attacks. The targeted attacks are particularly done against the minority groups. Despite worldwide demonstrations against the insurgencies in the country, the government of Pakistan has not taken any practical action yet to protect its civilians. The province is burring in sectarian violence, this is what most of the civilians have been reporting to the Medias but it seems like the civilian voice is falling in deaf ears and there has been no government official raising voice to pressurize the state’s security establishments for taking action.