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WEEKLY
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| Hazaras under fire |
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Monday, July 28, 2008
Quetta’s ethnic Hazara minority is the most educated tribe in Balochistan. The literacy rate among Hazaras is 100 per cent up to the age of 35 years. With the population of over 0.2 million, a majority of Hazaras live in Quetta and thousands of others reside in Loralai, Khuzdar, Sibi and Mach towns in Balochistan. They contribute immensely to the development and progress of the province. The Hazaras in Quetta have been targeted repeatedly in the past. They suffered casualties which have been sectarian and ethnic biased.
Recently, the targeting of Hazaras resumed after a pause of three years in the city. Six cricketer youths were gunned down on May 30. Two labourers belonging to the Hazara tribe were shot dead in June. Once again, Quetta witnessed horrible violence when Anti-Terrorist Force personnel opened fire on peaceful Hazara tribe members on July 19 in Quetta and gunned down three people on the spot while they were staging a peaceful protest against the killing and injuring of their fellow tribesmen. One of them succumbed to his injuries later. Afterwards, the ATF personnel entered the streets and targeted innocent civilians in Hazara Town. The ATF men killed one passer-by and left 18 others wounded, some of them critically. Most of those injured were between 16 and 25 years of age. A woman was also injured.
Unfortunately, the ATF personnel also opened fire on a delegation of the Balochistan ministers who were sent by chief minister Muhammad Aslam Bhutani for holding talks and resolving the issue in the area. The delegation consisting of provincial ministers Jan Ali Changezi, Shafiq Ahmed Khan, Younas Mullazai, Agha Irfan Karim and the chairman of the Hazara Qawmi Jirga, Qayyum Changezi, came under ATF personnel’s attack. Resultantly, the ministers escaped unhurt, but the chairman of the Hazara Qawmi Jirga sustained serious injuries while his guard, Liaquat Ali Hazara, died on the spot. Thus, six Hazaras fell victims to the ATF’s brutal firing in Hazara Town on July 19.
In his press conference, minister Jan Ali Changezi said that he had informed the police high-ups to communicate the police force on the ground that the delegation of the ministers was going in the area for holding talks with the elders of the local people. But the police brass did not pay heed to their words. Despite informing the senior police officials about the arrival of the delegation, the ministers came under fire of the ATF when they reached Hazara Town.
The ATF personnel on the ground, while injuring, killing, oppressing and terrorizing the residents in Hazara Town, were either fulfilling the order of their authority or operating independently, but the tragic incident which left six innocent people dead and over a dozen of Hazara tribe members injured should be probed independently.
The chief minister has ordered a judicial inquiry headed by a Balochistan High Court judge. Balochistan Minister Jan Ali Changezi has already warned that he will not accept the inquiry committee if any official of the ATF is inducted into the committee. This inquiry should be conducted through a non-PCO judge. When the law enforcement agencies fail to ensure protection to the life and property of the people or themselves indulge in such wanton acts, then at least they should not stop people from staging protests.
Here, the demands of Balochistan minister and PPP leader Jan Ali Changezi seem to be valid for the resolution of the issue. The demands include taking action against the ATF personnel for their tyranny against innocent civilians, conducting an independent judicial inquiry into the tragic incident, granting compensation to the heirs of the deceased who fell victims to the barbaric acts of the ATF personnel, bearing expanses of the treatment of the injured and releasing the detained innocent Hazara youths.
Rehmatullah
Quetta
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ISSN 1563-9479 
