Without state entities, we stand nowhere: CJP

QUETTA: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Mian Saqib Nisar said on Friday that the our existence is impossible without the state institutions and should not consider them as enemies as he took suo motu notice of the Hazara killings in Quetta because it is akin to “genocide”.

“We do not have words to condemn the incidents of Hazara’s killings,” a two-member bench headed by the chief justice and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan said during a hearing into the suo motu notice in the Supreme Court’s Quetta Registry.

The CJP took suo motu notice of Hazara’s killings on May 2 and had summoned a report from the Balochistan government, Levies, police and Interior Ministry.

“For me the targeted killings of the Hazara community in Quetta is ethnic cleansing and thus I had to take suo motu,” the CJP explained. Apprising the court, the counsel for the Hazara community, Advocate Iftikhar Ali, said, "We are facing a personal and financial loss.

"Members of the Hazara community are not given admission to universities and people have sold their businesses," the counsel added. Ali further said, "Some members of the community have been forced to migrate to Australia." The Hazara community’s counsel further told the court, "Security from 15 of our leaders has been withdrawn."

However, Quetta DIG denied taking back the security. To this, Justice Nisar remarked that a committee has been formed to look into the matter. Advocate Iftikhar Ali further told the court, "Hazaras have been facing killings for the last 20 years."

To this, the CJP asked Balochistan IGP Moazzam Jah Ansari and agencies to submit the measures that can be taken to protect the Hazara community. Responding to the statement, the chief justice asked the Balochistan IG if a report has been prepared on the targeted killings. Ansari then presented a report to the two-member bench.

The report stated that in the last six years, 399 Hazaras were killed in various incidents of terrorism, adding that the highest number of Hazaras — 208 — were killed in 2013.

The Balochistan IGP told the court, " As many as 106 security personnel have been killed since 2012 in targeted killings in the province." Further sharing details, the Balochistan IG said, "As many as 19 people from minority communities have been killed since 2012 and 20 settlers have been killed in the same period."

"The security situation in the province has improved now," the Balochistan IG said. Ansari added, "Nine members of Hazara community have been targeted in Balochistan in the last four months."

"Twenty-eight personnel have been martyred so far in various incidents across the province this year," the IG said. The hearing was then adjourned till after Eid. A string of successive incidents of targeted killings spread a wave of terror among citizens of Quetta last month.

As a result, members of the Hazara community began protesting the continued spate of killings against the minority community. Apart from the sit-in outside the assembly, a social activist Advocate Jalila Haider-led hunger strike was also being staged by Hazara community women outside the Quetta Press Club. The protesters demanded an immediate end to targeted killings of Hazara community members and arrest of every culprit involved.