2012, The worst year for the Hazara

Posted by asmathosaini on January 5, 2013 · 9 Comments 

Death is a fact that should be accepted, because human life is mortal and it comes to an end one day due to natural law but death through other’s hands cannot be accepted. No individual on earth accepts to die by someone else’s hands. This is what is observed in the world today. Why should a human die by someone else’s hand when the person is innocent? Some say that death is in our fate, no matter by whom but we have to accept it but I think that is not fair. Being killed innocently through cruel and brutal people without committing a single crime is injustice. The same situation is with the Hazara People in Quetta, Pakistan. People there cannot live a normal life today. They are surrounded by the fear of death. They cannot go outside with the hope of returning back their homes. Their lives are now in complete danger. Is it really a life to live with the fear of being killed anytime? Blood bath of Hazara continues as terrorists in Quetta City of Pakistan. The victims of the attacks are well known people like Abid Ali Nazish (TV actor), Walayat Hussain (Inspector of FIA) and Muhammad Anwar (AG office employee & poet). Their car was ambushed by terrorists on motor cycles on Mechangi Road, where they were killed.

26 Hazaras were singled out from a bus and executed.

The 2012 has been a worst year for Hazara Community due to the terrorist attacks and sectarian killings. On 28^th of March, coal mine workers were ambushed near mill area of Mastung district, Quetta and 2 of them were killed.  A number of Hazaras have been shot to dead by Pakistani Police while protesting against the sectarian killings. Mastung district became a hub of terrorists on September 26, 2011. 26 Hazaras were singled out from a bus and executed in bright day light. It is unclear why the Pakistani State is unable or unwilling to break the terrorist network in the small town of Mastung which is no larger than a mile. 7 others were killed by the terrorists while 3 were shot dead by the police in Quetta. Demonstrators against the wave of killings were reportedly shot and killed by the Police. These Police were nowhere found during the terrorist attack even though check-posts could be seen only yards away from the attack’s location.

Dozens of Hazaras died under attacks on April. It began from April 2 when terrorists attacked on a Hazara Pharmacy at Mechangi Road and killed two of them. Killing frenzy of Hazaras continued by Lashkar-e-Janvi (LeJ), Jaish-e-Islam and many other religious groups.

the attack on a passanger van killing 10

A number of attacks have taken place in the main city of Quetta, in the busiest streets. On April 21, Syed Muhammad Ali member of Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) got injured on Joint Road. The bullet luckily missed the target injuring only his arm. A bomb blast ripped through a bus of BUITMS (Balochistan University of Information Technology and Management Sciences), killing 5 students and wounding over 70 others. The explosion took place when the bus was travelling through Samangali Road. Most young Hazara people cannot attend universities and colleges now in Quetta because of security fears. They are imprisoned home from school, college and university in the bloody year 2012.

The Asian Human Rights Watch has alleged that terrorists in Quetta region has full support of the Pakistani Government and its Intelligence Agencies, and also trained by none other than the Federal FC force itself. It is not known if Pakistani Government is allowing the genocide of Hazaras as a warning for Hazaras in Afghanistan who are seen as leaning towards West and against Taliban forces which has the blessing of the Pakistani Government. The Taliban Showra (High Council) is reportedly living in Quetta region, a short hop away from Kandahar, and expected to stage a comeback anytime after NATO forces leave the area. The Hazaras in Afghanistan are worried about the possibility of another massacre not unlike one that happened in Mazar-e Sharif and Bamyan by Taliban in which 15,000 Hazaras were killed in one day. The Taliban and Al-Qaida affiliated networks are financed by wealthy Arab Nations such as Saudi Arabia and UAE.

the attack on a shoe-maker shop

The Lashkar-e-Jangvi terrorist organization, that has claimed responsibility of virtually all the Hazara killings, has vowed to wipe all Hazaras from Pakistan. Most recently this year in 2013, in 4 days two incidents have taken place and 2 Hazaras were killed. More than 70 attacks have taken place in 2012 on Hazaras but no voice has been raised against it yet.“It might be because of when one of us comes in front of you, you mostly label us Chinese or Korean. Our complexions are not like yours, neither is our race or genetic composition. We are the ‘others’. And our pain is that of the others. We are Pakistanis but not considered a part of you” a Hazara girl says. I don’t understand what our fault is. We want to be peaceful contributors towards the progress of our country, Pakistan. We love Pakistan as much as you do. We took part too in freedom of Pakistan. We served Pakistan as you did, then what is our fault?

My blood is still red even slaughtered in a bright day light just as Abur Rehman, an ethnic Hazara who was brutally murdered in a broad daylight in front of the eyes of Rangers – Pakistani Paramilitary Force – in Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi. He was the chief security guard at Bilawal House and also a personal guard to Pakistan’s President, Asif Ali Zardari. On December 21, when Abur was heading to his home, located near Capri Cinema at Huma heights after finishing his duty at Bilawal House. A dozen of gunmen surrounded his car and opened fire at him, but fortunately he managed to escape the assault and was only injured. In that condition he was dropped at Jinnah PMC by a private TV Channel Vehicle. That was not it in the land of pure, the assailants followed him to the hospital and after beating him with a stick on the stretcher, one of the assailants opened fire at him with an AK-47. 17 bullet shells reported to have been found from the ward. Despite claims from some groups terming it as sectarian, we have been under the same attacks from decades but no one raises their voice against it. In year 2012 more than 120 Hazara was killed and more than 100 injured.

Hazaras are hopeless and are leaving the country to find a safer place to live. We used to live like brothers and sisters in Quetta; we no longer expect anything from you but it’s your assumption to stand with us in our hard time.

Don’t let us down.

 

The chart below which I’ve managed from different sources demonstrates the attacks, place of attacks, the date of attacks and the numbers of victims respectively. Some may have been missed.

Date	Location of the Attacks	Number of Injured	Number of Martyred
January 2012
Jan. 25	Mechangi Road (Chowk next to Islamia School)		3
March 2012
March 28	Tera Mill area in Dasht, Mastung District, Quetta.	2
March 29	Spinni road, Quetta.	5	8
April 2012
April 2	Mechangi Road, Quetta.		2
April 9	New Saadat Boot Maker, on Prince road, Quetta.	Several	6
April 12	Qandhari bazar and Liaqat bazaar, Quetta.	2	3
April 13	Kasi road, Quetta. & Abdul Sattar road Quetta.	1	2
April 14	Subzal Road Quetta.		11
April 15	Spiny road Quetta. And Spiny road Quetta.		6
April 21	Joint Road Quetta. & Brewery Road Quetta.	1	2
May 2012
May 6	In the small town of Mastung.		1
May 15	Main Quetta City.		2
May 17	Western Bypass in Quetta, Pakistan	1	2
May 25	Sariab road Quetta.		1
May 30	Joint road Quetta.		1
June 2012
June 18	Samangli road Quetta.	70	5
June 28	Hazar Ganji Quetta.	Several	20
August 2012
Aug. 27	Main Quetta City.		3
September 2012
Sept. 1	Different location in Quetta.		9
October 2012
Oct. 4	Kuchlak suburb of Quetta.	2	1
Oct. 10	Mach city of Baluchistan.		1
Oct. 16	Sirki Road Quetta.		4
November 2012
Nov. 6	gunmen attacked a yellow cab at Quetta’s Spiny Road	2	3
Nov. 9	Arbab Karim khan road.		1
Nov. 10	Quetta city.		10
Nov. 15	Hazar Ganji Quetta.	3	2
Nov. 16	Hazar Ganji Quetta.		1
Nov. 18	Jinaah road, Khuzdar.		1
Nov. 28	Sakhi auto shop, Quetta.		1
December 2012
Dec. 5	Wapda Kolony Nawakili Quetta.		2
Dec. 13	Kandahari Bazaar and Saleem complex Quetta.	2	2
Dec. 21	Karachi Pakistan.		1
Dec. 26	Hazar Ganji Quetta.		1
		Injured = 100 +	Killed = 118

The map pinpoints the attack locations and some level of details about the attack.

Red fire symbol = signifies major attack (many casualties, injuries, or a different pattern of attack)

Red Icon = Signifies attack in which one or more Hazara was killed.
Yellow Icon = Signifies that we were not able to verify the precise location of the attack on a particular road. Once verified, the icon will be changed to Red.
Blue Icon = attack resulted in injury or death.

 

 

I am a Medicine Student from Quetta. I tweet at @AsmatHosaini and can be reached at asmat.hussaini@yahoo.com

Filed under Hazara Community