At least five people belonging to ethnic Hazara Shia community were killed and one other seriously injured on Quetta’s Kasi road in Balochistan on Monday after few unidentified armed men opened fire at their vehicle. As per police report armed motorcyclists opened fire at their vehicle and fled the scene unhurt. This is not first incident of its kind. Hazara Shia community in Balochistan has been experiencing incidents of violence and targeted killings for more than a decade. More than 1,400 incidents have occurred in the province during the past 15 years.
The ongoing persecution of Hazaras by extremist elements in the province raises serious question on the performance of law enforcing agencies. Continued attacks show the inability of state to take action against killers, who just escape after killing innocent people. Target killing of Hazaras is so consistent that such gory incidents happen almost every month in which precious lives are lost. On September 11, at least four members of the Shia Hazara community, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed and two others injured in an attack in Kuchlak town near Quetta. In 2013, 83 Shia Hazaras lost their lives in the suicide bomb attacks. Their families kept on asking for justice and held the dead bodies for four days under sun. But eventually they had to call off the protest due to poor security conditions. The fear that follows this minority has not only taken away the peace but also the lives of these vulnerable people. Hazaras are quite familiar with such kinds of attacks but are still unable to find out their guilt.
As happens after every such terrorist attack, politicians have condemned this attack too, but such condemnations seem now a kind of rituals. Policy makers need to show some resolve to tackle sectarian based attacks. It is high time to utilize all resources with sincere will to provide security to Hazara Shia minority. It is time to deal with iron hands to the killers of fellow countrymen. We raise our voices for the right of Rohingya Muslims, but it seems we have put deaf ear to the echoes of Hazaras and have left them on the mercy of merciless killers.
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