Top officials have no time to visit

Mumtaz Alvi
Wednesday, September 28, 2011

ISLAMABAD: A distraught legislator belonging to Hazara community, Nasir Ali Shah, on Monday alleged the president and prime minister were power hungry and that was why they ignored massacres of his people, for they considered them as insects and useless animals.

He also referred to millions of flood victims in Sindh, who had been left to die hungry and ill and said the rulers had plenty of funds for their lavish lifestyle but for flood victims they posed as if they had no money and sought foreign help. Shah, who was elected from Quetta in 2008 and his voters were overwhelmingly Hazaras, lamented the community he belonged to, was also a victim of conspiracy. He has survived at least two attempts on his life during the last few months.

“Zardari and Gilani may try to convince me but I have the firm opinion that they are power hungry and engaged in political expediencies. Anything else is of no value to them,” the angry lawmaker charged.

Hazaras have been living in Quetta and some other parts of the province for decades but they never faced this much intensity of barbarism: they also live in Loralai, Sibbi, Khuzdar, Zhob, Mach and some other areas.

“It is mind-boggling that they are singled out for acts of terrorism in Quetta while in other districts, Hazara community peacefully co-exists with other communities such as Baloch, Pathan and other sections of people,” he pointed out.

“I have availed every forum, be it the floor of parliament, President, PM, Governor and CM Balochistan over the latest wave of terrorism but this has been a totally useless exercise and systematic killing of poor Hazaras continues.” He complained no top government functionary had time to visit the bereaved families for condolences, who had lost their loved ones.

THE NEWS