Tuesday, January 15, 2013
ٹشو پیپر کے ٹرک
DateFeb 2011Posts2,844
آج سے چند برس قبل ملک کے ایک نامور سیاستدان کو اپنے بچوں کے لیے کسی ایسی کتاب کی تلاش تھی جو بچوں کی کردار سازی‘ علم اور ذہانت میں اضافہ کر سکے‘ وہ میرے پاس تشریف لائے اور فرمایا ’’کوئی ایک ایسی کتاب بتا دیں جس میں تمام خوبیاں ہوں‘‘ میں نے کاغذ کا ایک ٹکڑا لیا اور اس پر’’ تاریخ فرشتہ‘‘ لکھ کر ان کے حوالے کر دیا‘ وہ ملک کے لاکھوں لوگوں کی طرح ’’تاریخ فرشتہ‘‘ سے واقف نہیں تھے‘ انھوں نے پوچھا ’’کیا یہ کوئی روحانی یا دینی کتاب ہے‘‘ میں نے عرض کیا ’’جی نہیں‘ یہ ہندوستان کی مسلم تاریخ کا آئینہ ہے‘ پاکستان کے ہر سیاستدان‘ ہر جرنیل اور ہر بیوروکریٹ کو یہ کتاب ضرور پڑھنی چاہیے تا کہ یہ تاریخ کی وہ غلطیاں نہ دہرا سکیں جن کا مطالعہ یہ سرزمین سیکڑوں سال سے کر رہی ہے‘‘ وہ تشریف لے گئے‘ چند دن بعد ان کا فون آیا اور وہ دیر تک کتاب کی تعریف کرتے رہے ۔’’تاریخ فرشتہ ‘‘ حقیقتاً تعریف کے قابل ہے‘ یہ کتاب1606ء میں محمد قاسم فرشتہ نام کے ایک سچے اور کھرے مورخ نے لکھی اور کمال کر دیا‘ یہ کتاب ملک کے ہر سیاستدان‘ فوجی افسر‘ بیوروکریٹ اور جج کے سرہانے ہونی چاہیے اور اسے روزانہ اس کا ایک باب پڑھ کر سونا چاہیے تا کہ یہ اگلے دن اٹھے تو یہ وہ غلطیاں نہ کرے جو اس خطے میں پچھلے دو ‘دو ہزار سال سے ہو رہی ہیں اور ہر غلطی کا نتیجہ وہ نکلا جو اس وقت پاکستان میں صاف نظر آ رہا ہے۔’’تاریخ فرشتہ‘‘ کی بارہ ابواب پر مشتمل چار جلدیں ہیں اوراس کا ہر باب انسان کے بارہ طبق روشن کر دیتا ہے ‘ اسے پڑھتے ہوئے تاریخ کے تمام کردار آپ کو اپنے آگے پیچھے چلتے پھرتے دکھائی دیتے ہیں‘ مثلاً آپ قطب الدین مبارک شاہ خلجی کو لے لیجیے‘ یہ علائوالدین خلجی کے بعد ہندوستان کا بادشاہ بنا‘ اس کی سلطنت دوتہائی ہندوستان پر پھیلی ہوئی تھی‘ یہ مذہباً مسلمان تھا لیکن اس کی حرکات انسانیت کی تمام حدیں کراس کر گئیں‘ یہ مک مکا کا ماہر تھا‘ اس نے ملک کے تمام اہم لوگوں کو خطاب‘ اعزازات‘ جاگیر یں اور وزارتیں دے کر اپنے ساتھ ملا لیا‘ ملک کے تمام حق گو‘ ایماندار اور بااثر لوگوں کو ایک ایک کر کے قتل کرا دیا‘ ملک کا جو بھی شخص اس کو چیلنج کرتا تھا یہ اسے دولت کے ذریعے خرید لیتا تھا یا پھر قتل کرا دیتا تھا‘ یہ معاملہ اس حد تک رہتاتودرست تھا کیونکہ دنیا کے زیادہ تر بادشاہ یہی کرتے ہیں لیکن وہ فطرتاً ایک مکروہ کردار تھا‘ وہ ہم جنس پرست تھا‘ وہ گجرات کاٹھیاواڑ کے ایک نوجوان ہندو لڑکے پر عاشق ہو گیااور اس نے اس لڑکے کو اپنی ذمے داری میں لے لیا‘ اسے خسرو خان کا خطاب دیا‘ وزیر بنایا اور اس کے ساتھ رہنے لگا‘ بادشاہ سلامت ہرروز خسرو خان کے ساتھ شادی کرتے تھے ‘ یہ ایک دن خسرو خان کا دولہا بنتے ‘ باقاعدہ بارات تیار ہوتی‘ ملک کے تمام عمائدین لباس فاخرہ پہن کر اس بارات میں شامل ہوتے ‘ شامیانے لگتے ‘ باراتیوں کو کھانا کھلایا جاتا ‘ قاضی صاحب آتے اور بادشاہ سلامت کا خسرو خان کے ساتھ نکاح پڑھایا جاتا اور اس کے بعد ڈولی رخصت ہوجاتی‘ اگلے روز خسرو خان دولہا بنتااور بادشاہ سلامت قطب الدین مبارک شاہ خلجی اس کی دولہن بنتے اور اس تقریب میں بھی عمائدین سلطنت باقاعدہ شرکت کرتے تھے‘ اس ’’نکاح‘‘ کا ولیمہ بھی ہوتا تھا‘ بادشاہ سلامت نے ملک میں حسن فروشی اور شراب نوشی کی کھلی اجازت دے دی‘ انھوں نے اپنے محلات کے دروازے سستی عورتوں پر کھول دیے‘ وہ دربار میں سرعام برہنہ بھی ہو جاتے تھے اور درباریوں کو بھی اطاعت کا حکم جاری کر دیتے تھے‘ بادشاہ سلامت دربار میں زنانہ کپڑے اور زیورات پہن کر بھی تشریف لے آتے تھے اور درباری ان کے جمال کی کھل کر تعریف کرتے تھے۔ قطب الدین مبارک شاہ نے ہندوستان پر چار سال‘ چار ماہ حکومت کی‘ اس دوران خسرو خان اس کی کمزوری بن گیا‘ خسرو خان نے اس کمزوری کا فائدہ اٹھایا‘ اس نے بادشاہ کے کان بھر بھر کر اس کے تمام وفادار ساتھی قتل کروا دیے‘ عزیز رشتے داروں کو جیلوں میں پھینکوا دیا‘ محل اور دربار میں اپنی برادری کے لوگ لگوا دیے اور پھر ایک دن بادشاہ کو عین اس وقت قتل کر دیا جب وہ زنانہ کپڑے پہن کر خسرو خان کے پیچھے پیچھے بھاگ رہا تھا‘ بادشاہ کا سر محل سے باہر پھینک دیا گیا اور خواجہ سرا خسرو خان ہندوستان کا بادشاہ بن گیا‘ خسرو خان نے اقتدار سنبھالتے ہی محل میں موجود قرآن مجید جمع کروائے اور (نعوذباللہ) انھیں دربار کی کرسیاں بنا دیا‘ مسلمان عمائدین کو ان پر بیٹھنے کا حکم دیا اور یہ لوگ ان کرسیوں پر بیٹھتے بھی رہے‘ نیا بادشاہ دربار میں درباریوں پر پیشاب بھی کر دیتا تھا‘ یہ حرکات اس قدر بڑھ گئیں کہ لوگوں نے خدا اور رسول ؐ کا واسطہ دے کر دیپالپور کے امیر غازی ملک کو دلی آنے کی دعوت دی‘ غازی ملک نے دلی فتح کی‘ خسروخان کو قتل کیا اور سلطان غیاث الدین تغلق کے نام سے حکومت شروع کر دی۔قطب الدین مبارک شاہ اور خسرو خان محمد قاسم فرشتہ کی 1300 صفحات کی کتاب کے دو کردار تھے جب کہ اس کتاب میں سیکڑوں اچھے برے کردار موجود ہیں‘ قاسم فرشتہ کا دعویٰ ہے ہندوستان میں جب بھی کوئی اچھا حکمران آیا‘ اس خطے نے دن دگنی اور رات چگنی ترقی کی لیکن جونہی قطب الدین مبارک شاہ جیسا کوئی کردار تخت نشین ہوا‘ یہ ملک تباہی اور بربادی کا منظر پیش کرنے لگا‘ آج اگر محمد قاسم فرشتہ زندہ ہوتا اور اس کی تاریخ نویسی جاری ہوتی تو یہ یقیناً آج کے پاکستان کے چند کردار بھی اپنی کتاب میں شامل کر لیتا اور ان کرداروں میں یقیناًنواب اسلم رئیسانی جیسا جید سیاستدان بھی شامل ہوتا‘ پاکستان نے تاریخ میں ایک سے ایک بڑا نمونہ بھگتا ہے لیکن نواب اسلم رئیسانی مدظلہ العالی کا کوئی جواب نہیں‘نواب صاحب 9اپریل 2008ء میں بلوچستان کے وزیراعلیٰ بنے اور اس کے بعد انھوں نے اسلام آباد کو اپنا دارالخلافہ بنا لیا‘ یہ مہینے میں اوسطاً 22 دن اسلام آباد میں قیام کرتے‘ سڑک پر ہیوی موٹر بائیک چلاتے‘ اسپورٹس کار میں جلوے دکھاتے‘ ریمورٹ کنٹرول سے حکومت چلاتے اور ٹیلی ویژن پر حیران کن بلکہ بعض اوقات شرمناک بیانات جاری کرتے مثلاً’’ ڈگری ڈگری ہوتی ہے جعلی ہویا اصلی‘ کرسی کرسی ہوتی ہے لکڑی کی ہو یا پلاسٹک کی ‘ جس میں ہمت ہے مجھے ہٹائے 10روپے انعام دوں گا‘ جس کو بخار ہوا اسے اسپرین دیں گے ‘ اسپرین سے آرام نہ ہوا تو انجکشن لگا لیں گے‘ جب سردی ہو گی تو میں آپ کو دھوپ میں کھڑا کر دوں گا اور مئی جون میں چھائوں میں کھڑا کر دوں گا‘‘وغیرہ وغیرہ۔ یہ تمام بیانات ان کی ذہانت اور دماغی زرخیزی کا ادبی نمونہ ہیں مگر کوئٹہ میں 10جنوری کو 120لوگوں کی ہلاکت کے بعد ان کے بیانات بین الاقوامی ادب تک پہنچ گئے ‘ کوئٹہ میں ہزارہ کمیونٹی کے ہزاروں سوگوار 86 میتیں سڑک پر رکھ کر بیٹھ گئے‘ یہ لوگ بلوچستان حکومت کی برطرفی اور کوئٹہ کو فوج کے حوالے کرنے کا مطالبہ کر رہے تھے لیکن نواب صاحب اس وقت لندن میں تشریف رکھتے ہیں‘ میڈیا نے ان سے رابطہ کیا تو نواب صاحب کے خیالات نے ہر دکھی دل کو رلا دیا‘ نواب صاحب نے پہلے بیان جاری کیا ’’میں کوئٹہ کے سوگواروں کے لیے ٹشو پیپرز کے دو ٹرک بھجوا رہا ہوں‘ یہ ان سے اپنے آنسو پونچھ لیں ‘‘اور اس کے بعد فرمایا ’’میں نے لندن میں ہوٹل کا کرایہ ادا کر دیا ہے‘ میں ہوٹل چھوڑ کر کوئٹہ کیسے آ جائوں‘‘۔ یہ بیانات خسرو خان اور قطب الدین مبارک شاہ کی حرکتوں کو بھی پیچھے چھوڑ گئے ‘ آپ بے حسی ملاحظہ کیجیے‘ لوگ 86لاشیں سڑک پر رکھ کر شدید سردی اور بارش میں بیٹھے تھے‘ ملک بھر میں دھرنے ہو رہے تھے‘ لوگ ملک کے 112 شہروں میں بچوں کو ساتھ لے کر سڑکوں پر بیٹھے تھے اور وزیراعلیٰ بلوچستان فرما رہے ہیں میں نے ہوٹل کے کمرے کا کرایہ دے دیا ہے‘ میں کیسے واپس آ جائوں یا میں دو ٹرک ٹشو پیپرز بھجوا رہا ہوں۔ دنیا میں اس سے زیادہ ستم گری اور سنگدلی کیا ہو سکتی ہے‘ آپ وفاقی حکومت کا رویہ دیکھ لیجیے ‘ صدر آصف علی زرداری تین ہفتوں سے کراچی میں بیٹھے ہیں‘ وزیراعظم راجہ پرویز اشرف اپنے صاحبزادے کی شادی کی تقریبات میں مصروف ہیں اور کابینہ کراچی‘ لاہور اور آبائی حلقوں کے درمیان گم ہو چکی ہے‘ وزیراعظم تیسرے دن ایکٹو ہوئے اور انھوں نے آئین کی دفعہ 234 کے تحت بلوچستان حکومت ختم کرکے وہاں گورنر راج لگا دیا اور یہ وہ وزیراعظم ہیں جنہوںنے سپریم کورٹ کے 31 اکتوبر 2012ء کے فیصلے بلوچستان حکومت اپنا حق حکمرانی کھو چکی ہے اس کی شدید مذمت بھی کی تھی اور اس فیصلے کو عوامی مینڈیٹ کی توہین بھی قرار دیاتھا لیکن 86 لاشوں کے بعد حکومت نے نہ صرف عوامی مینڈیٹ کی توہین قبول کر لی بلکہ وہ کام بھی کیا جس کا مطالبہ سپریم کورٹ کر رہی تھی۔اگریہ جمہوریت ہے‘ اگر یہ عوامی مینڈیٹ ہے اور اگر یہ وہ سسٹم ہے جس کے تحفظ کا دعویٰ صدر‘ وزیراعظم اور میاں نواز شریف کر رہے ہیں تو پھر عوام کو اسے ایک لمحے میں مسترد کر دینا چاہیے‘ اگر بیلٹ باکس سے اسلم رئیسانی جیسے لوگوں نے نکلنا ہے اور اگر حکومت نے پانچ برس بعد لاشیں اٹھانے کے لیے گورنر راج لگانا ہے تو پھر ہم جمہوریت کے اہل ہی نہیں ہیںپھر علامہ طاہر القادی سمیت اس ملک کا ہر وہ شخص سچا ہے جو چوراہوں کو پھانسی گھاٹ بنانا چاہتا ہے اور سڑکوں کو پارلیمنٹ۔مجھے خطرہ ہے اگر علامہ طاہر القادری ناکام ہو گئے تو اس کے بعد وہ لوگ مارچ کریں گے جو گولی پہلے ماریں گے اور مقدمہ بعد میں سنیں گے کیونکہ ہمارے حکمران ٹشو پیپرز کے ٹرک ہیں ‘یہ سب اسلم رئیسانی ہیںاور یہ ملک اب اسلم رئیسانیوں کے ذریعے نہیں چل سکے گا۔
Four days on, 87 Hazaras finally find resting place
By Our Correspondents
Published: January 15, 2013
Members of the Hazara community shout slogans during the Quetta blasts’ victims’ funeral ceremony. PHOTO: AFP
QUETTA:
The bodies of 87 slain Hazaras, which had been accompanied by thousands of mourners from the Shia Hazara community on Alamdar Road for a full four days, were finally laid to rest on Monday.
Some 17 bodies, unidentifiable due to the impact of the blast, wait for their families to recognise and bury them.
The Hazara Town graveyard, Barory, and Ganje Shuhada graveyard, Alamdar Road, receivedthe victims of the January 10 bomb blasts that claimed more than a 100 lives, only after the community’s elders announced that the protest was officially over. Their decision followed Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s announcement that some of the community’s demands would be met, including the dismissal of the provincial assembly and the imposition of governor rule.
The struggle for the community, however, is far from over – this may very well just be the beginning.
“We trust the decision of the elders of our tribe. However, we are wary of trusting the government’s promises. It may be just a pacifier … We have some degree of satisfaction over governor rule in the province, and (the fact that) false cases against our Hazara brothers in police stations and courts (are) being withdrawn, along with release of those Hazaras who are in prisons,” said a Hazara community member who returned home for the first time since the blast, while talking to The Express Tribune. Yet, he shared, his community was not happy with how “giving more power to Frontier Corps (FC) is being dealt with. It reeks of deception. Only time will tell”.
Another member of the community pointed out that most who had lost their lives on that fateful day were young boys volunteering to save those who were injured in the initial explosion. “The first blast had fewer casualties. That was actually bait to draw as many men as possible to the site, so that a maximum number of men lose their lives in the attack,” he said.
The man told about how he lost his 23-year-old cousin who was about to get married soon. “He called us after the second blast saying ‘I have lost one arm and one leg, and I am bleeding too much. Come soon. There are others here who are in worse condition than me’. By the time we covered the 45 minute distance from Barory to Alamdar road, he was gone. We have been through hell. We are still living it.”
Sitting out in the freezing cold for days has left the Hazara community physically exhausted. There has been a spread of respiratory and chest infections, as well as joint aches and pains. Emotionally too, the deaths and protests have taken their toll. Yet, their resolve is unwavering.
“We are not going to give up the struggle. But from the government and the people of Pakistan, all we can request is, ‘bring the culprits to task’. You all know who they are. And if you cannot do that, at least stop supporting them,” said a female Hazara activist, adding that death does not scare her any more.
What has driven the besieged minority is a wave of support which brought several parts of the country to a standstill over the last few days, leaving a fearful government resorting to jamming mobile phone networks once again.
“It is heartening to see how people all over Pakistan and in fact all over the world have woken up to the cause of Hazaras. The turnout of women at the sit-in is no small feat, considering how protective and conservative Hazaras and generally the people of the province are when it comes to their women,” a Hazara activist said. The campaigner added, “It was excruciatingly painful to make our dead wait to be buried. But I think the sacrifice of those who died will not have gone in vain.”
A spokesperson on behalf of Shia Hazara activists gave this statement of gratitude: “To all our honourable brothers and sisters who joined hands with us in these painful moments – We are thankful to those mothers the world over who have trained their children to support the oppressed when in pain …”
It went on to add: “We pray to Allah that you all never have to suffer how we have suffered. Rest assured, if ever a time comes when God forbid you all need support, the Shia Hazaras will be by your side, and will not hesitate from giving any sacrifice to safeguard you. May God be with you. From the Shia Hazara community.”
Demand for army
Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen Central Secretary Raja Nasir Abbas demanded of Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi to call in the army for security in Quetta.
FC and police personnel, along with volunteers of the Hazara Community, were on alert as the burials took place.
Later, addressing a joint press conference, Abbas along with leader of Yakjehti Council Qayyum Nazar Changezi and the head of the Hazara tribe Sardar Saadat Ali Hazara expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. At the same time, they demanded that Quetta be handed over to the army, since the FC had not proved effective in the past.
The speakers said they shared equally the grief of the journalists martyred in the bomb blast.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2013.
Express Tribune
Published: January 15, 2013
Members of the Hazara community shout slogans during the Quetta blasts’ victims’ funeral ceremony. PHOTO: AFP
QUETTA:
The bodies of 87 slain Hazaras, which had been accompanied by thousands of mourners from the Shia Hazara community on Alamdar Road for a full four days, were finally laid to rest on Monday.
Some 17 bodies, unidentifiable due to the impact of the blast, wait for their families to recognise and bury them.
The Hazara Town graveyard, Barory, and Ganje Shuhada graveyard, Alamdar Road, receivedthe victims of the January 10 bomb blasts that claimed more than a 100 lives, only after the community’s elders announced that the protest was officially over. Their decision followed Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s announcement that some of the community’s demands would be met, including the dismissal of the provincial assembly and the imposition of governor rule.
The struggle for the community, however, is far from over – this may very well just be the beginning.
“We trust the decision of the elders of our tribe. However, we are wary of trusting the government’s promises. It may be just a pacifier … We have some degree of satisfaction over governor rule in the province, and (the fact that) false cases against our Hazara brothers in police stations and courts (are) being withdrawn, along with release of those Hazaras who are in prisons,” said a Hazara community member who returned home for the first time since the blast, while talking to The Express Tribune. Yet, he shared, his community was not happy with how “giving more power to Frontier Corps (FC) is being dealt with. It reeks of deception. Only time will tell”.
Another member of the community pointed out that most who had lost their lives on that fateful day were young boys volunteering to save those who were injured in the initial explosion. “The first blast had fewer casualties. That was actually bait to draw as many men as possible to the site, so that a maximum number of men lose their lives in the attack,” he said.
The man told about how he lost his 23-year-old cousin who was about to get married soon. “He called us after the second blast saying ‘I have lost one arm and one leg, and I am bleeding too much. Come soon. There are others here who are in worse condition than me’. By the time we covered the 45 minute distance from Barory to Alamdar road, he was gone. We have been through hell. We are still living it.”
Sitting out in the freezing cold for days has left the Hazara community physically exhausted. There has been a spread of respiratory and chest infections, as well as joint aches and pains. Emotionally too, the deaths and protests have taken their toll. Yet, their resolve is unwavering.
“We are not going to give up the struggle. But from the government and the people of Pakistan, all we can request is, ‘bring the culprits to task’. You all know who they are. And if you cannot do that, at least stop supporting them,” said a female Hazara activist, adding that death does not scare her any more.
What has driven the besieged minority is a wave of support which brought several parts of the country to a standstill over the last few days, leaving a fearful government resorting to jamming mobile phone networks once again.
“It is heartening to see how people all over Pakistan and in fact all over the world have woken up to the cause of Hazaras. The turnout of women at the sit-in is no small feat, considering how protective and conservative Hazaras and generally the people of the province are when it comes to their women,” a Hazara activist said. The campaigner added, “It was excruciatingly painful to make our dead wait to be buried. But I think the sacrifice of those who died will not have gone in vain.”
A spokesperson on behalf of Shia Hazara activists gave this statement of gratitude: “To all our honourable brothers and sisters who joined hands with us in these painful moments – We are thankful to those mothers the world over who have trained their children to support the oppressed when in pain …”
It went on to add: “We pray to Allah that you all never have to suffer how we have suffered. Rest assured, if ever a time comes when God forbid you all need support, the Shia Hazaras will be by your side, and will not hesitate from giving any sacrifice to safeguard you. May God be with you. From the Shia Hazara community.”
Demand for army
Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen Central Secretary Raja Nasir Abbas demanded of Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi to call in the army for security in Quetta.
FC and police personnel, along with volunteers of the Hazara Community, were on alert as the burials took place.
Later, addressing a joint press conference, Abbas along with leader of Yakjehti Council Qayyum Nazar Changezi and the head of the Hazara tribe Sardar Saadat Ali Hazara expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf. At the same time, they demanded that Quetta be handed over to the army, since the FC had not proved effective in the past.
The speakers said they shared equally the grief of the journalists martyred in the bomb blast.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 15th, 2013.
Express Tribune
Quetta tragedy shakes nation
Tuesday, January 15, 2013 - THE prolonged yet heart-rending sit-in by members of Hazara community in Quetta and protests across the country and in some foreign countries finally forced the Government to act in a manner that is likely to help overcome some of the problems of Balochistan. After his discussions with allies and talks with representatives of protestors, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf announced imposition of Governor’s Rule in the province and the decision served as a solace to aggrieved families.
The move is being appreciated by different circles but the fact remains that demand for the Governor’s Rule was there for about one year yet the authorities concerned did not pay any heed to the legitimate and logical demand. It is unfortunate that decision came amidst killing of over one hundred innocent souls at a time and strong protests by each and every segment of the society. The tragedy, in fact, shook the entire nation as families, relatives and members of Hazara community cried and braved harsh weather conditions to convey their injured sentiments to the people and decision-makers. Target killings including those of Hazara community had been there for quite some time but the latest incident was heart-breaking as about one hundred people became victim of the terrorist attacks. Therefore, anger of the community as well as people of Pakistan was quite understandable. It is satisfying that almost all political parties, leaders of public opinion and religious leaders representing different shades of opinion condemned the tragedywith one voice and demanded stern action to restore normalcy in Balochistan. The resilience anddetermination of families of the victims, who braved extreme cold and waited for five days to bury their dead, proved to be a turning point. However, mere imposition of the Governor’s Rule and dismissal of an inefficient, inactive and corrupt administration would not help until and unless the Governor moves firmly, with support of all law enforcing agencies including Army, to eliminate terrorists and law-breakers. There should be zero tolerance for those who take lives of other people and are engaging in acts aimed at destabilizing the province and the country.
Four days long Quetta sit-in ends
January 14, 2013 -
QUETTA: Yakjeehti Council leader Qayyum Chengezi Hazara has announced to break their four days long sit-in here following the imposition of Governor’s rule in Balochsitan.
Earlier, former minister Jan Ali Changezi had announced to end sit-in at 10 AM on Monday as President Asif Ali Zardari signed the summary regarding imposition of Governor's rule in Balochistan.
There was discord in the protestors over breaking the sit-in until the steps announced by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf were notified.
After the announcement to end sit-in in Quetta, protest demonstrations across the country are also being concluded.
QUETTA: Yakjeehti Council leader Qayyum Chengezi Hazara has announced to break their four days long sit-in here following the imposition of Governor’s rule in Balochsitan.
Earlier, former minister Jan Ali Changezi had announced to end sit-in at 10 AM on Monday as President Asif Ali Zardari signed the summary regarding imposition of Governor's rule in Balochistan.
There was discord in the protestors over breaking the sit-in until the steps announced by Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf were notified.
After the announcement to end sit-in in Quetta, protest demonstrations across the country are also being concluded.
Friday, January 11, 2013
Shia leaders call for army intervention after Quetta blasts
By Reuters
Published: January 11, 2013
Mourners sit beside the coffins of blast victims at a mosque following overnight twin suicide bombings in Quetta. PHOTO: AFP
QUETTA: Shia leaders called on the military on Friday to seize control of the provincial capital of Quetta to protect the Muslim minority after one of the worst sectarian attacks in the country’s history.
Shia leaders also told Reuters they would not allow the 82 victims of two bomb attacks in Quetta on Thursday to be buried until their demands were met.
A string of bombings left at least 93 people dead and over 150 wounded in one of the bloodiest days of violence that Balochistan has seen for years.
A suicide bomber detonated the explosives inside a crowded snooker club on Alamdar Road, a Shia-dominated neighbourhood of Quetta.
As soon as mediapersons, police and rescue officials reached the site, the second blast went off. Television channels counted the two explosions as suicide attacks. Most of the casualties were caused by the second blast.
The bombings disrupted power supplies and plunged the Alamdar Road neighbourhood into darkness. The area is dominated by the Hazara community, who are Shias by sect. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the blast and said their target was the Hazara community.
Express Tribune
Published: January 11, 2013
Mourners sit beside the coffins of blast victims at a mosque following overnight twin suicide bombings in Quetta. PHOTO: AFP
QUETTA: Shia leaders called on the military on Friday to seize control of the provincial capital of Quetta to protect the Muslim minority after one of the worst sectarian attacks in the country’s history.
Shia leaders also told Reuters they would not allow the 82 victims of two bomb attacks in Quetta on Thursday to be buried until their demands were met.
A string of bombings left at least 93 people dead and over 150 wounded in one of the bloodiest days of violence that Balochistan has seen for years.
A suicide bomber detonated the explosives inside a crowded snooker club on Alamdar Road, a Shia-dominated neighbourhood of Quetta.
As soon as mediapersons, police and rescue officials reached the site, the second blast went off. Television channels counted the two explosions as suicide attacks. Most of the casualties were caused by the second blast.
The bombings disrupted power supplies and plunged the Alamdar Road neighbourhood into darkness. The area is dominated by the Hazara community, who are Shias by sect. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the blast and said their target was the Hazara community.
Express Tribune
Quetta Bombing Underscores Pakistan Chaos
By Tom Wright
Banaras Khan/Agence France-Presse/Getty ImagesLocal residents at the site of overnight twin suicide bombings in Quetta, Jan. 11.
The killing of 81 people in a Shiite area of Quetta on Thursday is the latest sign that a war by Sunni militants on minority sects in Pakistan is spiraling out of control.
The twin blasts on a Quetta billiard hall are part of a systematic attempt by Sunni extremists to wipe out the Hazaras, a Shiite ethnic group that emigrated to Pakistan from Afghanistan three generations ago.
Sunni gunmen with links to the Taliban for over a year have been targeting members of the Persian-speaking Hazara community, often in broad daylight, on the streets of Quetta, a lawless city in Pakistan’s southwest near the frontier with Afghanistan.
But the violence against Shiites hasn’t been restricted to Quetta and the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan, of which it is the capital. Shiites have increasingly been gunned down in Karachi, the southern financial capital. In August, militants wearing Pakistan army uniforms boarded a bus travelling into Pakistan’s Himalayas and shot dead over 20 Shiite passengers after checking their identity cards.
Human Rights Watch estimates around 400 Shiites were killed in Pakistan last year, an escalation of violence that highlights the failure of Pakistan’s security forces to bring extremist groups under control despite international pressure on Pakistan to rein them in.
A look at Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni sectarian organization that claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, shows why the state is failing to stem the violence...Continue Reading....
The killing of 81 people in a Shiite area of Quetta on Thursday is the latest sign that a war by Sunni militants on minority sects in Pakistan is spiraling out of control.
The twin blasts on a Quetta billiard hall are part of a systematic attempt by Sunni extremists to wipe out the Hazaras, a Shiite ethnic group that emigrated to Pakistan from Afghanistan three generations ago.
Sunni gunmen with links to the Taliban for over a year have been targeting members of the Persian-speaking Hazara community, often in broad daylight, on the streets of Quetta, a lawless city in Pakistan’s southwest near the frontier with Afghanistan.
But the violence against Shiites hasn’t been restricted to Quetta and the restive southwestern province of Baluchistan, of which it is the capital. Shiites have increasingly been gunned down in Karachi, the southern financial capital. In August, militants wearing Pakistan army uniforms boarded a bus travelling into Pakistan’s Himalayas and shot dead over 20 Shiite passengers after checking their identity cards.
Human Rights Watch estimates around 400 Shiites were killed in Pakistan last year, an escalation of violence that highlights the failure of Pakistan’s security forces to bring extremist groups under control despite international pressure on Pakistan to rein them in.
A look at Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni sectarian organization that claimed responsibility for Thursday’s attack, shows why the state is failing to stem the violence...Continue Reading....
NY Times; Mourning Online for Pakistani Rights Activist Killed in Quetta Bombing
By ROBERT MACKEY
Ghalib Khalil, via TumblrIrfan Ali, a Pakistani activist who was killed on Thursday in a bombing, addressed a rally against sectarian attacks in September in Islamabad.
Bombs in two Pakistani cities killed at least 115 people on Thursday, with the worst carnage inflicted by two explosions a few minutes apart in the southwestern city of Quetta, taking the lives of at least 81 people. As my colleague Declan Walsh reports from Islamabad, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni militant group with strong ties to the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a Quetta neighborhood dominated by ethnic Hazara Shiites.
The group maximized the deadliness of the bloody attack by sending a suicide bomber to detonate his explosives inside a snooker hall, and then a second attacker blew up his vehicle outside the club a short time later, killing rescue workers and journalists.
Among those killed by the second blast was a rights activist, Irfan Ali, 33, who was helping the injured. Just before his death, he noted on his @khudialiTwitter feed that he had narrowly escaped the fist blast. Then he postedanother message, registering his dismay that the group behind the attack had also succeeded in driving some Hazara families out of their homes. The families who moved out, he wrote in his final words on Twitter, had “finally succumbed to the genocidal pressure,” from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. It was, he noted, a “sad day for diversity in Baluchistan,” the northwestern province that has Quetta as its capital....Continue Reading...
Bombs in two Pakistani cities killed at least 115 people on Thursday, with the worst carnage inflicted by two explosions a few minutes apart in the southwestern city of Quetta, taking the lives of at least 81 people. As my colleague Declan Walsh reports from Islamabad, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni militant group with strong ties to the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack in a Quetta neighborhood dominated by ethnic Hazara Shiites.
The group maximized the deadliness of the bloody attack by sending a suicide bomber to detonate his explosives inside a snooker hall, and then a second attacker blew up his vehicle outside the club a short time later, killing rescue workers and journalists.
Among those killed by the second blast was a rights activist, Irfan Ali, 33, who was helping the injured. Just before his death, he noted on his @khudialiTwitter feed that he had narrowly escaped the fist blast. Then he postedanother message, registering his dismay that the group behind the attack had also succeeded in driving some Hazara families out of their homes. The families who moved out, he wrote in his final words on Twitter, had “finally succumbed to the genocidal pressure,” from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. It was, he noted, a “sad day for diversity in Baluchistan,” the northwestern province that has Quetta as its capital....Continue Reading...
Thursday, January 10, 2013
96 killed in Quetta bomb blasts
Muhammad Ejaz Khan
Friday, January 11, 2013
From Print Edition
QUETTA: Thursday, January 10, turned out to be a horrific day for the people of Quetta when the city was rocked by three bombings that killed at least 96 people and injured over 200. The dead included security officials, Edhi volunteers, a TV reporter and a cameraman. The last bombing of the day was the most powerful ever to hit the city.
The first explosion took place at the Bacha Khan Chowk in the afternoon while the other two occured on the crowded Alamdar Road at night.
The deadly twin blasts that rocked Alamdar Road left at least 80 people dead, including a deputy superintendent of police, an SHO, Edhi volunteers, a reporter and cameraman of Samaa TV, while 200 others were injured.
Police said the first blast took place outside a snooker club at the Rehmatullah Chowk, an area inhabited by the Hazara Shia community, at about 8:50pm, which left some 10 people injured. The more powerful second blast took place on the same spot after 20 minutes when a lot of passers-by, media men and police officials had assembled to evacuate the injured of the first blast.
This resulted in the death of as many as 70 people on the spot, most of them from the Hazrara Shia community. DSP Mujahid Hussain, SHO Zafar Ali, Samaa cameraman Imran Sheikh, a reporter of the same channel, Saifur Rehman, and four Edhi volunteers were among those killed. A Geo cameraman Acme Roger received injuries on the face.
All the injured, some of them in a precarious condition, were rushed to different hospitals in the city, where an emergency had been declared. The blasts caused suspension of electricity supply to the area.
“It was the largest ever bomb to have hit the city,” said a senior police official. Police experts said that more than 100 kg of explosives were used in the bomb, a record for troubled Quetta city.
Earlier, the first bomb of the day exploded at a busy shopping area, the Bacha Khan Chowk, killing at least 12 people and wounding 40 others. Hospital sources feared that the death toll might rise, as many injured people were in a critical condition. One Jawan of the Frontier Corps (FC) was among the 12 people who were killed in the blast.
The bomb was planted under a white-coloured car and went off with a big bang at around 3:50pm. “Initial investigations suggest that the blast was caused by a remote controlled bomb, which was planted under a vehicle,” CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair said while talking to newsmen on the spot. The thud of the explosion could be heard several kilometres away. Apparently, the blast targeted a security forces’ vehicle, sources added.
More than 12 vehicles and four motorcycles were badly damaged in the blast. The windowpanes of nearby buildings were smashed. The victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital and CMH.
The police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area. “It was a high-powered time device weighing 20 to 25 kilograms and was planted under a car near the Baldia Plaza at Bacha Khan Chowk”, said officials of the bomb disposal squad. The blast created a nine-foot-long and four-foot-deep crater.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Balochistan governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others strongly condemned the blasts. They expressed deep concern over the deaths of the people.
Friday, January 11, 2013
From Print Edition
QUETTA: Thursday, January 10, turned out to be a horrific day for the people of Quetta when the city was rocked by three bombings that killed at least 96 people and injured over 200. The dead included security officials, Edhi volunteers, a TV reporter and a cameraman. The last bombing of the day was the most powerful ever to hit the city.
The first explosion took place at the Bacha Khan Chowk in the afternoon while the other two occured on the crowded Alamdar Road at night.
The deadly twin blasts that rocked Alamdar Road left at least 80 people dead, including a deputy superintendent of police, an SHO, Edhi volunteers, a reporter and cameraman of Samaa TV, while 200 others were injured.
Police said the first blast took place outside a snooker club at the Rehmatullah Chowk, an area inhabited by the Hazara Shia community, at about 8:50pm, which left some 10 people injured. The more powerful second blast took place on the same spot after 20 minutes when a lot of passers-by, media men and police officials had assembled to evacuate the injured of the first blast.
This resulted in the death of as many as 70 people on the spot, most of them from the Hazrara Shia community. DSP Mujahid Hussain, SHO Zafar Ali, Samaa cameraman Imran Sheikh, a reporter of the same channel, Saifur Rehman, and four Edhi volunteers were among those killed. A Geo cameraman Acme Roger received injuries on the face.
All the injured, some of them in a precarious condition, were rushed to different hospitals in the city, where an emergency had been declared. The blasts caused suspension of electricity supply to the area.
“It was the largest ever bomb to have hit the city,” said a senior police official. Police experts said that more than 100 kg of explosives were used in the bomb, a record for troubled Quetta city.
Earlier, the first bomb of the day exploded at a busy shopping area, the Bacha Khan Chowk, killing at least 12 people and wounding 40 others. Hospital sources feared that the death toll might rise, as many injured people were in a critical condition. One Jawan of the Frontier Corps (FC) was among the 12 people who were killed in the blast.
The bomb was planted under a white-coloured car and went off with a big bang at around 3:50pm. “Initial investigations suggest that the blast was caused by a remote controlled bomb, which was planted under a vehicle,” CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair said while talking to newsmen on the spot. The thud of the explosion could be heard several kilometres away. Apparently, the blast targeted a security forces’ vehicle, sources added.
More than 12 vehicles and four motorcycles were badly damaged in the blast. The windowpanes of nearby buildings were smashed. The victims were shifted to the Civil Hospital and CMH.
The police and law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area. “It was a high-powered time device weighing 20 to 25 kilograms and was planted under a car near the Baldia Plaza at Bacha Khan Chowk”, said officials of the bomb disposal squad. The blast created a nine-foot-long and four-foot-deep crater.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Balochistan governor Nawab Zulfiqar Ali Magsi, Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani, PML-N leaders Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif, MQM chief Altaf Hussain, PTI Chairman Imran Khan and others strongly condemned the blasts. They expressed deep concern over the deaths of the people.
The World Community’s Passive Liquidation of the Hazara People
Posted on 10/01/2013
Foto: http://www.hazarapeople.com
I usually write in Norwegian on this blog, but due to the international proportions of today’s hideous attacks targeting the Hazara people in Quetta, Pakistan, I’ve decided to write this post in English.
As most of my Hazara friends and acquaintances know, I am not Hazara myself. In fact, until just a few years ago, I had never heard the name and knew nothing of their plight.
Through personal contact with refugees who have come to Norway, where I currently reside, I have gotten to know many Hazaras personally, and even more so through internet activism and personal research. What I have discovered has been both marvelous and horrifying: the former for the overwhelming hospitality and friendship which I have encountered in the Hazara community, which has embraced me as one of their own; the latter for the appalling human rights atrocities being committed against them; actively by the Afghan and Pakistani governments, and passively by the Norwegian and other European nations.... Continue Reading...
Foto: http://www.hazarapeople.com
I usually write in Norwegian on this blog, but due to the international proportions of today’s hideous attacks targeting the Hazara people in Quetta, Pakistan, I’ve decided to write this post in English.
As most of my Hazara friends and acquaintances know, I am not Hazara myself. In fact, until just a few years ago, I had never heard the name and knew nothing of their plight.
Through personal contact with refugees who have come to Norway, where I currently reside, I have gotten to know many Hazaras personally, and even more so through internet activism and personal research. What I have discovered has been both marvelous and horrifying: the former for the overwhelming hospitality and friendship which I have encountered in the Hazara community, which has embraced me as one of their own; the latter for the appalling human rights atrocities being committed against them; actively by the Afghan and Pakistani governments, and passively by the Norwegian and other European nations.... Continue Reading...
Quetta blasts: Balochistan government announces three-day mourning
January 11, 2013 - Updated 225 PKT
QUETTA: Balochistan government has announced three-day mourning over the killing of 81 people in twin suicide attacks on Alamdar Road, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has announced compensation for the heirs of blast victims.
Sources said Rs2 million each would be provided to the heirs of deceased police officers and personnel while Rs1 million each would be provided to the relatives of other victims of Alamdar Road blasts.
Rs1 million each has also been announced for reporter and cameraman, of private TV channel ‘Samaa’, who lost their lives in the attack.
QUETTA: Balochistan government has announced three-day mourning over the killing of 81 people in twin suicide attacks on Alamdar Road, Geo News reported.
Meanwhile, the provincial government has announced compensation for the heirs of blast victims.
Sources said Rs2 million each would be provided to the heirs of deceased police officers and personnel while Rs1 million each would be provided to the relatives of other victims of Alamdar Road blasts.
Rs1 million each has also been announced for reporter and cameraman, of private TV channel ‘Samaa’, who lost their lives in the attack.
BBC; Pakistan blasts: Scores killed at Quetta snooker hall
Twin blasts at a snooker hall in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta have killed 81 people and injured more than 120, police say.
Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene.
The bombed area is predominantly Shia Muslim, and the Sunni extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said it had carried out the attack.
Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more.
A spokesman for another militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack.
Balochistan is plagued by both a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias.
The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups... Continue Reading...
Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene.
The bombed area is predominantly Shia Muslim, and the Sunni extremist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, said it had carried out the attack.
Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more.
A spokesman for another militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack.
Balochistan is plagued by both a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias.
The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups... Continue Reading...
Pakistan bombings kill at least 100
Attacks in city of Quetta, including two bombs in ten minutes at snooker club, come at time of heightened political tension
Jon Boone in Islamabad
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 January 2013 15.40 EST
People search for the victims of two bomb attacks in a snooker hall in Quetta, south-west Pakistan. Photograph: Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images
A vicious double bombing of a snooker club capped one of the bloodiest days in Pakistan for many months on Thursday, leaving more than 100 people dead and hundreds injured in three different attacks.
The death toll was shockingly high even by the bloody standards of Pakistan, which is beset by separatist insurgencies and Islamic militants at war with the state.
The surge in violence comes at a time of heightened political tension as the preparations of the coalition government to step down and fight elections have been threatened by a religious cleric who plans to bring a massive protest march to the capital on Monday.
Tahir-ul-Qadri's march, which the religious leader says will turn Islamabad into Tahrir Square, is billed as a protest against corruption and a demand for clean elections, but many politicians fear the real purpose is to find a pretext to delay the polls.
On Thursday Quetta, the south–east city that is home to the leadership of the Afghan Taliban and groups fighting for the province of Baluchistan to become an independent state, was rocked by two attacks.
A security check post was targeted in the first blast in the morning, killing 12 and injuring 25, according to the province's chief minister.
A little known group called the United Baluch Army claimed responsibility.
In the evening another 81 people lost their lives and 110 were wounded when two suicide bombers blew themselves up within ten minutes of each other in a packed building where young men go to play snooker.
The second blast appeared to be deliberately designed to kill the medical workers, anguished relatives and journalists who rushed to the scene.
Mohammed Murtaza, a police officer, said the second bomb caused the building to collapse, killing even more people.
Many of the dead and wounded, Murtaza said, were from the Shia sect of Islam, which extremist groups drawn from Pakistan's majority Sunni popular regard as heretics.
Shias, many of whom are members of the Hazara ethnic community in Quetta, have been particularly targeted by sectarian terror groups.
Human Rights Watch said the government's failure to protect Shias "amounts to complicity in the barbaric slaughter of Pakistani citizens".
"[Last year] was the bloodiest year for Pakistan's Shia community in living memory and if this latest attack is any indication, 2013 has started on an even more dismal note," said Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch.
"As Shia community members continue to be slaughtered in cold blood, the callousness and indifference of authorities offers a damning indictment of the state, its military and security agencies."
The organisation said the police had "turned a blind eye" to the activities of nominally banned sectarian terror groups, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Also on Thursday a bomb ripped through a crowded Sunni mosque outside the north-west city of Mingora in Swat, an area the government had to wrest from Taliban control in 2009.
The building is owned by Tableeghi Jamaat, a preaching organisation that is not linked to any militant organisations.
The attack killed 22 people and wounded more than 70, said a senior police officer.
In 2012 a total of 2,050 people were killed and 3,822 injured in Pakistan in attacks by Islamic militants, nationalist insurgents and violent sectarian groups.
Jon Boone in Islamabad
guardian.co.uk, Thursday 10 January 2013 15.40 EST
People search for the victims of two bomb attacks in a snooker hall in Quetta, south-west Pakistan. Photograph: Banaras Khan/AFP/Getty Images
A vicious double bombing of a snooker club capped one of the bloodiest days in Pakistan for many months on Thursday, leaving more than 100 people dead and hundreds injured in three different attacks.
The death toll was shockingly high even by the bloody standards of Pakistan, which is beset by separatist insurgencies and Islamic militants at war with the state.
The surge in violence comes at a time of heightened political tension as the preparations of the coalition government to step down and fight elections have been threatened by a religious cleric who plans to bring a massive protest march to the capital on Monday.
Tahir-ul-Qadri's march, which the religious leader says will turn Islamabad into Tahrir Square, is billed as a protest against corruption and a demand for clean elections, but many politicians fear the real purpose is to find a pretext to delay the polls.
On Thursday Quetta, the south–east city that is home to the leadership of the Afghan Taliban and groups fighting for the province of Baluchistan to become an independent state, was rocked by two attacks.
A security check post was targeted in the first blast in the morning, killing 12 and injuring 25, according to the province's chief minister.
A little known group called the United Baluch Army claimed responsibility.
In the evening another 81 people lost their lives and 110 were wounded when two suicide bombers blew themselves up within ten minutes of each other in a packed building where young men go to play snooker.
The second blast appeared to be deliberately designed to kill the medical workers, anguished relatives and journalists who rushed to the scene.
Mohammed Murtaza, a police officer, said the second bomb caused the building to collapse, killing even more people.
Many of the dead and wounded, Murtaza said, were from the Shia sect of Islam, which extremist groups drawn from Pakistan's majority Sunni popular regard as heretics.
Shias, many of whom are members of the Hazara ethnic community in Quetta, have been particularly targeted by sectarian terror groups.
Human Rights Watch said the government's failure to protect Shias "amounts to complicity in the barbaric slaughter of Pakistani citizens".
"[Last year] was the bloodiest year for Pakistan's Shia community in living memory and if this latest attack is any indication, 2013 has started on an even more dismal note," said Ali Dayan Hasan of Human Rights Watch.
"As Shia community members continue to be slaughtered in cold blood, the callousness and indifference of authorities offers a damning indictment of the state, its military and security agencies."
The organisation said the police had "turned a blind eye" to the activities of nominally banned sectarian terror groups, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Also on Thursday a bomb ripped through a crowded Sunni mosque outside the north-west city of Mingora in Swat, an area the government had to wrest from Taliban control in 2009.
The building is owned by Tableeghi Jamaat, a preaching organisation that is not linked to any militant organisations.
The attack killed 22 people and wounded more than 70, said a senior police officer.
In 2012 a total of 2,050 people were killed and 3,822 injured in Pakistan in attacks by Islamic militants, nationalist insurgents and violent sectarian groups.
Irfan Ali Khudi; A young peace activist, among many other precious lives that became the victim of twin suicide bombings on Alamdar road, Quetta.
Twin suicide blasts kill 81 in Quetta
January 11, 2013 - Updated 130 PKT
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Twin suicide attacks killed 81 people and wounded more than 120 others at a crowded snooker club in Quetta late Thursday, police said.
"The death toll has risen to 81 so far," CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair Mehmood told a news conference, putting the number of wounded at 121.
"Nine police personnel, including two officers, have lost their lives. Both (attacks) were (carried out by) suicide bombers and the death toll could rise further," he added. (AFP)
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Twin suicide attacks killed 81 people and wounded more than 120 others at a crowded snooker club in Quetta late Thursday, police said.
"The death toll has risen to 81 so far," CCPO Quetta Mir Zubair Mehmood told a news conference, putting the number of wounded at 121.
"Nine police personnel, including two officers, have lost their lives. Both (attacks) were (carried out by) suicide bombers and the death toll could rise further," he added. (AFP)
Series of bombs kill 103 in Pakistan including 69 in Quetta suicide attack
AP
January 11, 20135:57AM
Pakistani security personnel search wreckage after two suicide bombers hit Quetta, Pakistan, killing 69. A series of bombs across the country left more than 100 people dead overnight. Source: AFP
A SERIES of bombings in different parts of Pakistan killed 103 people, including 69 who died in a sectarian attack on a bustling billiard hall in the southwest city of Quetta, officials said.
The blasts punctuated one of the deadliest days in recent years in Pakistan, where the government faces a bloody insurgency by Taliban militants in the northwest and Baluch militants in the southwest.
The country is also home to many enemies of the US that Washington has frequently targeted with drone attacks. A US missile strike overnight killed five suspected militants in the seventh such attack in two weeks, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The billiard hall in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was hit by twin blasts about 10 minutes apart, killing 69 people and wounding more 160 others, said senior police officer Hamid Shakeel.
The billiard hall was located in an area dominated by Shiite Muslims, and most of the dead and wounded were from the minority sect, said another police officer, Mohammed Murtaza.
A blast victim is rushed to a hospital after twin attacks in Quetta, Pakistan.
Many of the people who rushed to the scene after the first blast and were hit by the second bomb, which caused the roof of the building to collapse, he said.
Police officers, journalists and rescue workers who responded to the initial explosion were also among the dead, police said.
The sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attack to local journalists. One of the group's spokesmen, Bakar Saddiq, said the first blast was carried out by a suicide bomber and the second was a bomb planted in a car and detonated by remote control.
Radical Sunnis groups often target Pakistan's Shiite minority, whom they believe hold heretical views and are not true Muslims.
Earlier in the day, a bomb targeting paramilitary soldiers in a commercial area in Quetta killed 12 people and wounded more than 40 others, said Shakeel, the senior police officer.
The United Baluch Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the soldiers in calls to local journalists.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, a bomb in a crowded Sunni mosque in the northwest city of Mingora killed 22 people and wounded more than 70, said senior police officer Akhtar Hayyat.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
January 11, 20135:57AM
Pakistani security personnel search wreckage after two suicide bombers hit Quetta, Pakistan, killing 69. A series of bombs across the country left more than 100 people dead overnight. Source: AFP
A SERIES of bombings in different parts of Pakistan killed 103 people, including 69 who died in a sectarian attack on a bustling billiard hall in the southwest city of Quetta, officials said.
The blasts punctuated one of the deadliest days in recent years in Pakistan, where the government faces a bloody insurgency by Taliban militants in the northwest and Baluch militants in the southwest.
The country is also home to many enemies of the US that Washington has frequently targeted with drone attacks. A US missile strike overnight killed five suspected militants in the seventh such attack in two weeks, Pakistani intelligence officials said.
The billiard hall in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, was hit by twin blasts about 10 minutes apart, killing 69 people and wounding more 160 others, said senior police officer Hamid Shakeel.
The billiard hall was located in an area dominated by Shiite Muslims, and most of the dead and wounded were from the minority sect, said another police officer, Mohammed Murtaza.
A blast victim is rushed to a hospital after twin attacks in Quetta, Pakistan.
Many of the people who rushed to the scene after the first blast and were hit by the second bomb, which caused the roof of the building to collapse, he said.
Police officers, journalists and rescue workers who responded to the initial explosion were also among the dead, police said.
The sectarian militant group Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the attack to local journalists. One of the group's spokesmen, Bakar Saddiq, said the first blast was carried out by a suicide bomber and the second was a bomb planted in a car and detonated by remote control.
Radical Sunnis groups often target Pakistan's Shiite minority, whom they believe hold heretical views and are not true Muslims.
Earlier in the day, a bomb targeting paramilitary soldiers in a commercial area in Quetta killed 12 people and wounded more than 40 others, said Shakeel, the senior police officer.
The United Baluch Army, a separatist group, claimed responsibility for the attack on the soldiers in calls to local journalists.
Elsewhere in Pakistan, a bomb in a crowded Sunni mosque in the northwest city of Mingora killed 22 people and wounded more than 70, said senior police officer Akhtar Hayyat.
No group claimed responsibility for the attack.
بس بہت ہوگیا! عوام متحد ہوجائیں ،دہشتگردوں کو اب معصوم لوگوں کو شہید کرنے کا حساب دینا ہوگا،گورنر بلوچستان
January 11, 2013
Posted by dailyqudrat
کوئٹہ(قدرت نیوز)گورنربلوچستان نواب ذوالفقارعلی مگسی نے کوئٹہ بم دھماکے کی شدیدالفاظ میں مذمت کرتے ہوئے قیمتی جانوں کے ضیاع پر افسوس کااظہارکیاہے اپنے ایک بیان میں گورنر نے بم دھماکے کو دہشت گردی کی بدترین اوربزدلانہ کاروائی قراردیتے ہوئے کہاہے کہ دہشت گرد عناصر اپنے بیرونی آقاں کے ایماءپر مذموم مقاصد کے حصول کےلئے سیکیورٹی فورسز کونشانہ بناتے ہوئے ان کے حوصلہ پست کرناچاہ رہے ہیں جن کی زد میں معصوم شہری بھی آکر اپنی جانیں گنواں رہے ہیں انہوں نے کہاکہ معصوم جانوں سے کھیلنے کی اجازت دنیا کاکوئی مذہب ومعاشرہ نہیں دیتا اوراس قسم کی کاروائیوں میں ملوث عناصر کاکوئی قوم ،قبیلہ اورمذہب نہیں ،انہوں نے کہا کہ پولیس اورایف سی سمیت قانون نافذ کرنے والے دیگراداروں کے اہلکارہماری جان ومال کاتحفظ یقینی بنارہے ہیں اوران کی بے بہاقربانیاں صوبے کے عوام کےلئے قابل فخر ہیں گورنر نے کہاکہ اب وقت آگیا ہے کہ تمام قبائل ،سیاسی جماعتیں اورمعاشرے کے تمام افراد دہشت گردوں کےخلاف متحدہ ہوجائیں اورہرسطح پر ان کی بھرپورمذمت کرکے انہیں یہ احساس دلایاجائے کہ ان کےلئے بلوچستان کی سرزمین اوریہاں کے عوام کے دلوں میں کوئی جگہ نہیں اورجلد اپنے سیاہ کارناموں کاحساب دیناہوگا،گورنر نے بالخصوص عام لوگوں پر زوردیا کہ وہ اپنے اردگرد کے ماحول،مشکوک افراد،ان کی نقل وحمل اوراشیاءپر نظررکھتے ہوئے قانون نافذ کرنے والے اداروں کو اطلاع دیکر ذمہ دارشہری ہونے کاثبوت دیں کیونکہ اسی میں ہم سب کی بقاءاورسلامتی ہے گورنر نے متاثرہ خاندانوں سے ہمدردی کااظہارکرتے ہوئے مرحومین کی مغفرت اورزخمیوں کی جلدصحت یابی کےلئے دعا کی ہے جبکہ انہوں نے پولیس اورانتظامیہ کو ہدایت کی ہے کہ کوئٹہ شہر سمیت صوبے بھرمیں سیکورٹی کے انتظامات کوفول پروف بنایاجائے۔کالعدم مذہبی تنظیم لشکری جھنگوی نے علمدار روڈ پر ہونے والے دونوں دھماکو ں کی ذمہ داری قبول کرلی
کوئٹہ(این این آئی)کالعدم مذہبی تنظیم لشکری جھنگوی نے علمدار روڈ پر ہونے والے دونوں دھماکوں کی ذمہ داری قبول کرلی ہے۔لشکری جھنگوی کے ترجمان ابوبکرصدیق نے جمعرات کی شب نامعلوم مقام سے پرنٹ اور الیکٹرانک میڈیا کے دفاتر ٹیلیفون کر کے واقعہ کی ذمہ داری قبول کی ترجمان نے کہاکہ آج کے دونوں فدائی حملوں کی ذمہ داری لشکر جھنگوی کے مجاہدین قبول کرتے ہیں پہلا فدائی حملہ خودکش جیکٹس کے ذریعے کیاگیا اوردوسرا فدائی حملہ گاڑی کے ذریعے کیاگیا،ترجمان نے کہا کہ لشکری جھنگوی نے2012 میں دشمن کو انتباہ کیاتھاکہ2012 کے اختتام تک بلوچستان سے نکل جائیں اس تنبیہ پر بڑی تعداد میں دشمن فرارہوگئے لیکن چند دشمنوں نے اپنی ملازمتوں جائیدادوں کو اپنی جان سے عزیز سمجھا اور بلوچستان میں ہی محدود رہے اب انشاء اﷲ لشکر جھنگوی2013میں شعیوں کو زندہ فرار نہیں ہونے دیں گے،2013کا پہلا فدائی حملہ اس سلسلے کی پہلی کڑی ہے انشاء اﷲ اب ہم ایسے حملے کریں گے کہ دشمن کو فرار کا راستہ بھی نہیں ملے گا ہم لشکری جھنگوی کے مجاہدین نے اپنا سب کچھ اﷲ کے دین پر وقف کردیا ہے اورہمارے یہاں زندگی صرف غیرت کیلئے ہے ہم بے غیرتی کی زندگی پر شہادت کی موت کو ترجیح دیتے ہیں، اب لشکر جھنگوی شعیت کو صرف ایک پیغام دیتی ہے کہ مارو یا مرو، ترجمان نے کہاکہ میں حکومت کو ایک بار پھر آخری مرتبہ تنبیہ کرتاہوں کہ ہمارے ساتھیوں کو اے ٹی ایف جیل سے واپس منتقل کریں ہمارے علم کے مطابق ہمارے ساتھی وہاں بیمار ہورہے ہیں اور ان پر بے انتہا ظلم ڈھایاجارہاہے، اگر ہمارے ساتھیوں کو ہدہ جیل نہ منتقل کیاگیا تو ہمارے فدائیوں کا رخ چھاؤنی اے ٹی ایف جیل اور ایف سی سمیت تمام سیکیورٹی فورسز کے قافلے ہونگے
57 KILLED IN TWIN SUICIDE BLASTS IN PAKISTAN'S QUETTA
QUETTA, Pakistan (AFP) - At least 57 people were killed and 110 wounded when two suicide bombers blew themselves up at a crowded snooker club in the southwestern city of Quetta on Thursday, a senior police officer said.
The first suicide bomber detonated his device inside the club, then about 10 minutes later another attacker in a car outside the building blew himself up as police, media workers and rescue teams rushed to the site, officer Mir Zubair Mehmood told AFP.
"The two attacks left 57 people dead and 110 injured," Mehmood said, adding that "both were suicide attacks, it is confirmed now".
The twin blasts, which came hours after a separate explosion in a crowded commercial area of the city left 11 dead, was the worst attack in Quetta since a suicide bomber blew himself up at a 2010 Shiite rally, killing around 50 people.
Mehmood said those killed in the twin bombings included six police officials, a local television cameraman, and several rescue workers.
Police said the bombings disrupted power supplies and plunged the area into darkness.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the two blasts.Quetta is the capital of the province of Baluchistan, one of the most deprived parts of Pakistan, which suffers from Islamist militancy, a separatist insurgency and sectarian violence.
Quetta : Alamdar Rd blasts toll hits 56
January 10, 2013 - Updated 2058 PKT
From Web Edition
QUETTA: At least 56 people including a private news channel cameraman and a DSP, were killed as two back-to-back bomb blasts hit the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast, was a suicide one was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck Airport road area nearby came minutes after the first one.
Police say the first blast was a suicide one.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team, which arrived at the site to cover the first blast however narrowly escaped the second one, but the satellite van they were in was damaged partially. The staff received minor injuries.
"The shrapnel or the flying debris, which hit the Geo News DSMG following the second blast shattered its windshield", sources said.
Police officers, mediamen, and rescue workers were also among the injured and the dead, said security sources.
DIG Hamid Shakil says the number of injured is as high as 163.
Fearing a rise in casualties, the hospital sources said some of the injured were critical.
DSP Quaidabad, Mujahid Hussain, who was injured in the second blast succumbed to his wounds later in the hospital.
The private TV cameraman who was killed on the spot was identified as Imran Shaikh. The satellite engineer of the same news channel was also wounded in the blast.
It is noted that there are two Imambargahs on Alamdar road and Hazara community makes up most of the population of this area.
The blasts caused suspension of electricity supply after they might have damaged the electricity pylons.
The above two blasts bring today's number of explosions hitting the terror-stricken city to three. At least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries when a powerful bomb ripped through Bacha Khan Chowk earlier in the day.
From Web Edition
QUETTA: At least 56 people including a private news channel cameraman and a DSP, were killed as two back-to-back bomb blasts hit the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast, was a suicide one was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck Airport road area nearby came minutes after the first one.
Police say the first blast was a suicide one.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team, which arrived at the site to cover the first blast however narrowly escaped the second one, but the satellite van they were in was damaged partially. The staff received minor injuries.
"The shrapnel or the flying debris, which hit the Geo News DSMG following the second blast shattered its windshield", sources said.
Police officers, mediamen, and rescue workers were also among the injured and the dead, said security sources.
DIG Hamid Shakil says the number of injured is as high as 163.
Fearing a rise in casualties, the hospital sources said some of the injured were critical.
DSP Quaidabad, Mujahid Hussain, who was injured in the second blast succumbed to his wounds later in the hospital.
The private TV cameraman who was killed on the spot was identified as Imran Shaikh. The satellite engineer of the same news channel was also wounded in the blast.
It is noted that there are two Imambargahs on Alamdar road and Hazara community makes up most of the population of this area.
The blasts caused suspension of electricity supply after they might have damaged the electricity pylons.
The above two blasts bring today's number of explosions hitting the terror-stricken city to three. At least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries when a powerful bomb ripped through Bacha Khan Chowk earlier in the day.
Pakistan blasts: 'Dozens killed' at Quetta snooker hall
10 January 2013 Last updated at 13:09 ET
Twin blasts at a snooker hall in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta have killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more, police say.
Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene,
Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more, police said.
A spokesman for a militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack.
Balochistan is plagued by a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias.
The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups.'Cameraman killed'
A senior police officer, Hamid Shakil, told Agence France-Presse news agency that the first bomb at the snooker exploded outside the building and that the second blast occurred 10 minutes later as rescue workers, police and media arrived.
Twin blasts at a snooker hall in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta have killed at least 50 people and injured dozens more, police say.
Many of the casualties were caused by the second blast as police and media rushed to the scene,
Earlier, a bomb in a market area killed 11 people and injured 27 more, police said.
A spokesman for a militant group, the United Baloch Army, said it had carried out that attack.
Balochistan is plagued by a separatist rebellion and sectarian infighting between Sunnis and Shias.
The Taliban and armed groups that support them also carry out attacks in the province, particularly in areas near the Afghan border. Pakistan's military has been engaged in a long-running battle against those militant groups.'Cameraman killed'
A senior police officer, Hamid Shakil, told Agence France-Presse news agency that the first bomb at the snooker exploded outside the building and that the second blast occurred 10 minutes later as rescue workers, police and media arrived.
The first blast devastated a market area
The dead reportedly included a cameraman from a television channel.
Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told AFP the bombs were in an area dominated by the minority Shia Muslim community.
TV footage of the earlier market attack showed survivors picking through debris, and emergency crews taking away the wounded.
"Frontier Corps [paramilitary] personnel were the target because the bomb was planted underneath their vehicle," senior police investigator Hamid Shakeel told AFP news agency.
The dead include one paramilitary soldier and two civilian officers.
The dead reportedly included a cameraman from a television channel.
Home Secretary Akbar Durrani told AFP the bombs were in an area dominated by the minority Shia Muslim community.
TV footage of the earlier market attack showed survivors picking through debris, and emergency crews taking away the wounded.
"Frontier Corps [paramilitary] personnel were the target because the bomb was planted underneath their vehicle," senior police investigator Hamid Shakeel told AFP news agency.
The dead include one paramilitary soldier and two civilian officers.
کوئٹہ میں دھماکے، ہلاکتیں پچاس سے زائد
آخری وقت اشاعت: جمعرات 10 جنوری 2013 , 17:47 GMT 22:47 PST
کوئٹہ میں دوپہر کو ہونے والا دھماکہ مصروف مرکزی علاقے میں ہوا تھا۔
پاکستان کے صوبہ بلوچستان کے دارالحکومت کوئٹہ میں تین مختلف دھماکوں میں پچاس سے زائد افراد ہلاک جبکہ ایک سو سے زائد افراد زخمی ہو گئے ہیں۔
شام کے بعد علمدار روڈ پرہونے والے دو بم دھماکوں میں اڑتیس افراد ہلاک جبکہ اسی سے زائد زخمی ہیں۔
بلوچستان کے ہوم سیکرٹری اکبر حسین درانی نے بی بی سی سے بات کرتے ہوئے ان دھماکوں کی اور ان کے نتیجے میں ہونے والی ہلاکتوں کی تصدیق کی اور بتایا کہ پہلے دھماکے کے بعد جب امدادی کارکن اور میڈیا کے نمائندے جائے حادثہ پر پہنچے تو ایک اور دھماکہ ہوا جس میں مزید ہلاکتیں ہوئیں۔
ان دو دھماکوں میں اب تک اڑتیس افراد کے ہلاک ہونے کی تصدیق کی گئی ہے جبکہ مزید ہلاکتوں کا خدشہ ظاہر کیا جا رہا ہے۔
ہلاک ہونے والوں میں ایک نجی چینل کا کیمرہ مین عمران شیخ اور خبر رساں ادارے این این آئی کے کیمرہ مین اقبال بھی شامل ہے جبکہ اسی چینل کے رپورٹر اور ایک اہلکار شدید زخمی ہیں۔
اس کے علاوہ اسی دھماکے میں فلاحی ادارے ایدھی کے چار امدادی کارکن بھی ہلاک ہو گئے جو امدادی کارروائیوں کے لیے جائے حادثہ پر پہنچے تھے۔ ان کے ساتھ ساتھ ان کی ایمبولینسوں کو بھی نقصان پہنچا۔
زخمیوں میں پولیس کے تین اہلکار بھی شامل ہیں جن میں ایس پی خالد مسعود بھی شامل ہیں جن کی حالت انتہائی نازک بتائی جاتی ہے۔
تفصیلات کے مطابق یہ دھماکہ علمدار روڈ پر واقع ایک سنوکر کلب میں ہوا اور دھماکے کے بعد علاقے کی بجلی منقطع ہو گئی جس کی وجہ سے بہت غیر یقینی صورتحال ہے۔
اس سے قبل شہر کے مرکزی علاقے میں میزان چوک پر ایک کار بم دھماکے کے نتیجے میں بارہ افراد ہلاک اور چونتیس سے زائد زخمی ہو گئے ہیں۔
ہلاک ہونے والوں میں ایک ایف سی کا اہلکار جبکہ دو سول ملازمین بھی شامل ہیں جبکہ زخمی ہونے والوں میں ایف سی کے دس اہلکار شامل ہیں۔
کوئٹہ کے سی سی پی او زبیر محمود نے میڈیا کے نمائندوں سے بات کر تے ہوئے بتایا کہ گیارہ افراد ہلاک اور ستائیس زخمی ہو ئے ہیں۔
تفصیلات کے مطابق اس دھماکے کا ہدف ایک ایس پی کی گاڑی تھی اور یہ دھماکہ ایف سی کی ایک چوکی کے قریب ہوا جہاں ایک گاڑی کے نیچے ایک ٹائمر ڈیوائس لگا کر دھماکہ کیا گیا۔
پولیس زرائع کے مطابق اس دھماکے کے لیے پچیس سے تیس کلو دھماکہ خیز مواد استعمال کیا گیا۔
اس دھماکے کی زمہ داری یونائٹیڈ بلوچ آرمی نے قبل کر لی ہے۔
دھماکے کے نتیجے میں قریبی عمارتوں کے شیشے ٹوٹ گئے۔
اس سے قبل انتیس دسمبر 2012 کو کوئٹہ ہی میں پولیس کی ایک گاڑی پر حملے میں چار اہلکار ہلاک ہوگئے تھے اور یہ حملہ کوئٹہ کے مشرقی بائی پاس کے علاقے غوث آباد میں ہوا تھا۔
اس حملے میں پولیس کے ایک اسسٹنٹ سب انسپکٹر سمیت تین اہلکار ہلاک ہوئے تھے جبکہ گاڑی کا ڈرائیور شدید زخمی ہوگیا تھا۔
اس سے صرف دو روز قبل ستائیس دسمبر 2012 کو کوئٹہ کے سیٹلائٹ ٹاؤن ہی کے علاقے میں فائرنگ کے ایک واقعہ میں ایک خفیہ ایجنسی کے دو اہلکار ہلاک ہوگئے تھے۔
پولیس کے ذرائع کے مطابق اس طرح کے حملوں میں کوئٹہ سمیت بلوچستان کے دیگر علاقوں میں اب تک ساڑھے چار سو
سے زائد پولیس اہلکار ہلاک ہو چکے ہیں۔
Triple blasts rip through Quetta
By Web Desk / Mohammad Zafar
Published: January 10, 2013
Thirteen cars, including FC vehicles, damaged in the blast. PHOTO: EXPRESS
QUETTA: Three blasts in Quetta on Thursday left 37 dead and many with serious injuries. The blasts took place in Shahrah-e-Iqbal and Alamdar Road area.
The second and third blasts took place near an imambargah.
Shahrah-e-Iqbal blast
At least 12 people were killed and 27 others were injured when a blast ripped through the Baacha Khan Chowk area of Shahrah-e-Iqbal, a senior police official said.
The Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Quetta Mir Zubair Mehmood confirmed the death toll, adding that details regarding the bomb attack would be divulged after further investigation.
Witnesses said children and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were among those injured.
This is the third blast in the same area which houses a shopping plaza and a market and is generally a busy area.
The police, FC, bomb disposal squad (BDS) and rescue teams reached the scene, cordoning off the area and shifting the injured to hospitals.
20 to 25kg explosives were reportedly used in the bomb.
Express News correspondent Irfan Rana reported a two to three-foot deep crater where the blast occurred.
Thirteen cars, including FC vehicles, were damaged in the blast.
Alamdar Road blast
Two more blasts took place near an imambargah on Alamdar Road.
At least 25 people were killed and more than 100 sustained injuries in these blasts. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals. Few of the injured are in critical condition.
The dead include SP Khalid Masood and a private channel’s cameraman.
Quetta police and BDS have arrived at the blast site and cordoned off the area.
Power supply in the area has been disrupted after the incident.
Published: January 10, 2013
Thirteen cars, including FC vehicles, damaged in the blast. PHOTO: EXPRESS
QUETTA: Three blasts in Quetta on Thursday left 37 dead and many with serious injuries. The blasts took place in Shahrah-e-Iqbal and Alamdar Road area.
The second and third blasts took place near an imambargah.
Shahrah-e-Iqbal blast
At least 12 people were killed and 27 others were injured when a blast ripped through the Baacha Khan Chowk area of Shahrah-e-Iqbal, a senior police official said.
The Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Quetta Mir Zubair Mehmood confirmed the death toll, adding that details regarding the bomb attack would be divulged after further investigation.
Witnesses said children and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were among those injured.
This is the third blast in the same area which houses a shopping plaza and a market and is generally a busy area.
The police, FC, bomb disposal squad (BDS) and rescue teams reached the scene, cordoning off the area and shifting the injured to hospitals.
20 to 25kg explosives were reportedly used in the bomb.
Express News correspondent Irfan Rana reported a two to three-foot deep crater where the blast occurred.
Thirteen cars, including FC vehicles, were damaged in the blast.
Alamdar Road blast
Two more blasts took place near an imambargah on Alamdar Road.
At least 25 people were killed and more than 100 sustained injuries in these blasts. The injured have been shifted to nearby hospitals. Few of the injured are in critical condition.
The dead include SP Khalid Masood and a private channel’s cameraman.
Quetta police and BDS have arrived at the blast site and cordoned off the area.
Power supply in the area has been disrupted after the incident.
Nine killed in twin Quetta blasts
January 10, 2013 - Updated 2058 PKT
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Nine people including a private news channel cameraman were killed as two back-to-back bomb blasts hit the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck Airport road area nearby came minutes after the first one.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team, which arrived at the site to cover the first blast however narrowly escaped the second one, but the satellite van they were in was damaged partially. The staff received minor injuries.
Police officers, mediamen, and rescue workers are also among the 15 injured.
It is pertinent to mention that at least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries when a powerful bomb ripped through Bacha Khan Chowk earlier in the day.
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Nine people including a private news channel cameraman were killed as two back-to-back bomb blasts hit the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck Airport road area nearby came minutes after the first one.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team, which arrived at the site to cover the first blast however narrowly escaped the second one, but the satellite van they were in was damaged partially. The staff received minor injuries.
Police officers, mediamen, and rescue workers are also among the 15 injured.
It is pertinent to mention that at least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries when a powerful bomb ripped through Bacha Khan Chowk earlier in the day.
Four explosions in Quetta, 10 people injured
DAWN.COM |
Breaking News.
QUETTA: Four explosions have been heard in the provincial capital, at least 10 people have been injured, DawnNews reported.
Two explosions took place at Alamdar road and at Prince road, according to reports. Two more explosions took place near Airport road.
Seven people were injured in the explosions at Alammdar and Prince road, while three people were reported injured in the two explosions at Airport road.
Bomb rocks Quetta; 12 killed, 40 injured
January 10, 2013 - Updated 1551 PKT
From Web Edition
QUETTA: At least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries as a bomb explosion rocked Bacha Khan Chowk here on Thursday, hospital sources said.
A congested market is located at the site of the incident and the explosion took place during peak hours.
According to reports, the target of the attack was an FC checkpost. Several vehicles including a vehicle of law enforcement agency, nearby shops and food stalls were badly damaged in the explosion.
Rescue teams after reaching the site of the incident shifted injured people to hospitals where emergency was imposed.
Bomb disposal squad collected the evidences from the site of the incident. It said timer device was used for the explosion which carried almost 20 to 25 kilograms of explosive material.
The bomb was planted under the car, the squad added.
From Web Edition
QUETTA: At least twelve people including two children and a FC personal were killed while 40 others sustained injuries as a bomb explosion rocked Bacha Khan Chowk here on Thursday, hospital sources said.
A congested market is located at the site of the incident and the explosion took place during peak hours.
According to reports, the target of the attack was an FC checkpost. Several vehicles including a vehicle of law enforcement agency, nearby shops and food stalls were badly damaged in the explosion.
Rescue teams after reaching the site of the incident shifted injured people to hospitals where emergency was imposed.
Bomb disposal squad collected the evidences from the site of the incident. It said timer device was used for the explosion which carried almost 20 to 25 kilograms of explosive material.
The bomb was planted under the car, the squad added.
Two back-to-back blasts hit Quetta
January 10, 2013 - Updated 2058 PKT
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Terrorism has revisited Quetta in the same day as two bomb blasts were reported from two different parts of the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck the same area came minutes after the first one.
The blasts left eight people injured, however no fatalities have been reported so far.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team which rushed to the site to cover the first blast narrowly escaped the second one.
From Web Edition
QUETTA: Terrorism has revisited Quetta in the same day as two bomb blasts were reported from two different parts of the city Thursday evening, Geo News reported.
Sources told Geo News the first blast was reported from Rehmattullah Chowk on Alamdar Road, whereas the second one which struck the same area came minutes after the first one.
The blasts left eight people injured, however no fatalities have been reported so far.
"The second bomb went off by the time media, rescue, and law enforcement officials reached the spot" sources said.
Geo News team which rushed to the site to cover the first blast narrowly escaped the second one.
Mysterious genocide of Pakistan's Hazara community
Whatever the truth, and it's often difficult to tell in Pakistan, the international community needs to do more to highlight the plight of the peace-loving Hazara community
Pakistan's Hazara community has faced terrifying persecution
Ghaffar Hussain
On 10 January 2013 10:10
Life for minority communities in Pakistan has never been great. Drive-by shootings, bomb attacks, lynchings, and assassinations targeting members of religious and ethnic minorities are ubiquitous in the nuclear armed state, established in the name of Islam to protect Muslims.
The persecution of religious minorities such as Christians, Hindus, Shias, and Ahmedis often makes it into the international media and is discussed domestically, especially when major massacres occur. However, the on-going genocide being directed at the Hazara community in Pakistan seems to have attracted very little international media attention and even less domestic political attention. No-one seems to know what is going on and no-one seems to care.
The Hazara community in Pakistan is approximately 950,000 strong, with most living in the Baluchistan province. They are a highly visible ethnic minority as well as religious minority. They are largely Shia, speak a Persian dialect known as Dari, and have Central Asian features as opposed to South Asian.
In the past 10 years, there have been around 120 major attacks on members of the Hazara community which have resulted in around 800 deaths and over 1500 injuries. Though some attacks have targeted high-profile community members, around one-third of the victims have been children. In 2012 alone there were 56 attacks. A further 300 Hazaras have died trying to flee Pakistan for the safety of other countries, mainly Australia since it has an established Hazara community.
The more shocking aspect of this on-going genocide is that the Hazara community has no idea why it is being targeted or by whom. They are not calling for independence or autonomy, nor are they engaged in any political struggle. They are largely a peaceful people concerned with nothing more than earning a living and making a contribution to their country.... Continue Reading....
Pakistan's Hazara community has faced terrifying persecution
Ghaffar Hussain
On 10 January 2013 10:10
Life for minority communities in Pakistan has never been great. Drive-by shootings, bomb attacks, lynchings, and assassinations targeting members of religious and ethnic minorities are ubiquitous in the nuclear armed state, established in the name of Islam to protect Muslims.
The persecution of religious minorities such as Christians, Hindus, Shias, and Ahmedis often makes it into the international media and is discussed domestically, especially when major massacres occur. However, the on-going genocide being directed at the Hazara community in Pakistan seems to have attracted very little international media attention and even less domestic political attention. No-one seems to know what is going on and no-one seems to care.
The Hazara community in Pakistan is approximately 950,000 strong, with most living in the Baluchistan province. They are a highly visible ethnic minority as well as religious minority. They are largely Shia, speak a Persian dialect known as Dari, and have Central Asian features as opposed to South Asian.
In the past 10 years, there have been around 120 major attacks on members of the Hazara community which have resulted in around 800 deaths and over 1500 injuries. Though some attacks have targeted high-profile community members, around one-third of the victims have been children. In 2012 alone there were 56 attacks. A further 300 Hazaras have died trying to flee Pakistan for the safety of other countries, mainly Australia since it has an established Hazara community.
The more shocking aspect of this on-going genocide is that the Hazara community has no idea why it is being targeted or by whom. They are not calling for independence or autonomy, nor are they engaged in any political struggle. They are largely a peaceful people concerned with nothing more than earning a living and making a contribution to their country.... Continue Reading....
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
’پاکستان میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد میں اضافہ‘
شمائلہ جعفری
بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، لاہور
آخری وقت اشاعت: جمعرات 10 جنوری 2013 , 20:53 GMT 01:53 PST
مستونگ میں زائرین کی بسوں کو ایک کار بم دھماکے میں نشانہ بنایا گیا ہے اور کے نتیجے میں انیس افراد ہلاک ہو گئے
نذر عباس شیعہ زائرین کی اس بس کے کنڈیکٹر تھے جو تیس دسمبر کو صوبہ بلوچستان کے علاقے مستونگ میں دہشت گردی کا نشانہ بنی۔
نذر عباس کے خاندان کو اس واقعے کے کئی روز بعد اس کی لاش تک نہیں مل سکی۔
تیس دسمبر کو مستونگ میں زائرین کی بسوں پر حملہ کیا گیا تھا جس میں انیس افراد ہلاک ہوئے۔ ان میں اکثریت شیعہ زائرین کی تھی۔
نذر عباس کی اہلیہ شمائلہ کہتی ہیں ’مدد تو ایک طرف ہمیں تو کوئی پوچھنے تک نہیں آیا نہ لاشیں مل رہی ہیں اور زخمیوں کا بھی کوئی اتا پتہ نہیں۔حکومت کیا کر رہی ہے؟ شیعوں کی سختی آئی ہوئی ہے‘۔
پاکستان میں فرقہ وارانہ واقعات کی خونی داستان میں نذرعباس اور ان کا خاندان محض ایک چھوٹا سا حوالہ ہیں۔
ملک میں نفرت کی بھینٹ چڑھنے والوں کی فہرست تو انتہائی طویل ہے اور اب اس میں تیزی سے اضافہ ہو رہا ہے ۔
پاکستان میں سلامتی کی صورتحال پر نظر رکھنے والے ادارے پاکستان انسٹیٹیوٹ فار پیس سٹڈیز نے حال ہی میں ایک رپورٹ جاری کی ہے جس میں دو ہزار بارہ کے دوران پاکستان میں امن و امان کی صورتحال کا تفصیلی جائزہ پیش کیا گیا ہے۔
ادارے کے اعداد و شمار کے مطابق سال دو ہزار بارہ میں پاکستان میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد کے واقعات میں اٹھاون فیصد اضافہ دیکھنے میں آیا۔
فرقہ وارانہ حملے
"ستر فیصد سے زائد فرقہ وارانہ حملے شیعہ مسلمانوں کے خلاف ہوئے جبکہ بیس فیصد میں اہلسنت والجماعت کے کارکن اور راہنما نشانہ بنے۔ تاہم سب سے زیادہ قیامت کوئٹہ کی ہزارہ برادری پر ڈھائی گئی جن کے ایک سو بتیس افراد اپنی فرقہ وارانہ شناخت کے باعث موت کے گھاٹ اتار دیے گئے"
رپورٹ
رپورٹ میں چار علاقوں کو فرقہ واریت کے حوالے سے حساس ترین قرار دیا گیا ہے۔
گذشتہ برس کراچی ننانوے حملوں کے ساتھ سرفہرست رہا جبکہ کوئٹہ میں فرقہ وارانہ نوعیت کے باون واقعات رپورٹ ہوئے۔
گلگت بلتستان میں بائیس اور کرم ایجنسی میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد کے نو واقعات رونما ہوئے ۔
پاکستان انسیٹیوٹ فار پیس سٹڈیز کے ڈائریکٹر عامر رانا کے مطابق ان علاقوں میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد کی مختلف وجوہات ہیں ۔
’کراچی میں مختلف گروہوں کے فرقوں کے ساتھ ان کی سیاسی وابستگی بھی فرقہ وارانہ کشیدگی کو بڑھانے کا محرک ہے اور ان گروہوں کا تعلق قومی اور بین الاقوامی سطح کی تنظیموں کے ساتھ ہے تاہم کوئٹہ میں ہونے والوں کے حملوں میں مقامی سطح کے گروہ ملوث ہیں جن کی مقاصد کی نوعیت بھی خالصتاً میں مقامی ہے‘۔
’ گلگت بلتستان میں فرقوں کے درمیان ہم آہنگی رکھنے کے لیے کوششیں کی جاتی رہی ہیں تاہم وہاں دو واقعات ایسے رونما ہوئے ہیں جن سے وہاں فرقہ وارانہ کشیدگی میں بہت اضافہ ہوا ہے ۔ ایک کوہستان کا واقعہ اور دوسرا بابوسرکا۔ لیکن گلگت بلتستان میں بیرونی مداخلت حالات خراب کرنے کا سبب بنی‘۔
رپورٹ کے مطابق ستر فیصد سے زائد فرقہ وارانہ حملے شیعہ مسلمانوں کے خلاف ہوئے جبکہ بیس فیصد میں اہلسنت والجماعت کے کارکن اور راہنما نشانہ بنے۔ تاہم سب سے زیادہ قیامت کوئٹہ کی ہزارہ برادری پر ڈھائی گئی جن کے ایک سو بتیس افراد اپنی فرقہ وارانہ شناخت کے باعث موت کے گھاٹ اتار دیے گئے ۔
عامر رانا کہتے ہیں ’اس میں کوئی شک نہیں کہ فرقہ واریت کا سب سے زیادہ شکار شیعہ برادری ہے وہ خواہ گلگت ہو کراچی بلوچستان یا ڈیرہ اسمعاعیل خان۔ لیکن ہم نے دیکھا کہ گذشتہ دوبرس میں شیعہ گروہ بھی متحرک ہوئے ہیں اگرچہ ان کے پاس نہ تو وہ وسائل ہیں اور نہ ہی وہ صلاحیت۔ خاص طور پر کراچی میں ٹارگٹ کلنگ کے حوالے سے انھوں نے ردعمل دکھایا ہے‘۔
اس میں کوئی شک نہیں کہ فرقہ واریت کا سب سے زیادہ شکار شیعہ برادری ہے: عامر رانا
ماہرین کا ماننا ہے کہ کراچی میں سکیورٹی ادارے فرقہ وارانہ حملوں کو روکنے کے لیے کچھ حد تک کردار ادا کرنے کی کوششیں کرتے ہیں جبکہ گگت بلتستان میں حکومتی سطح پر فرقوں کے مابین کشیدگی کم کروانے کے لیے سنجیدگی موجود ہے تاہم بلوچستان میں فرقہ وارانہ تشدد کو روکنے کے لیے مذہبی سیاسی اور انتظامی طور پر کبھی ٹھوس اقدامات نہیں کیے گئے۔
انسانی حقوق کے کارکن پیٹر جیکب کہتے ہیں’میں اسے فرقہ وارانہ تشدد نہیں سمجھتا یہ ایک سوچی سمجھی سازش ہے جس میں مخصوص اقلیتوں کو ٹارگٹ کرکے مارا جا رہا ہے۔ یہ رجحان نہیں ہے بلکہ منظم منصوبہ ہے‘۔
پاکستان نوے کی دہائی میں بھی فرقہ واریت کی لپیٹ میں رہا۔ اس مسئلے کے حل کے لیے وقتی طور پر سکیورٹی اداروں نے درعمل دکھایا آپریشن کیے گئے مذہبی اور سیاسی طور پر بھی کئی ایسے اقدامات ہوئے جس سے صورتحال میں بہتری آئی تاہم فرقہ واریت کے خاتمے کے لیے مسقتل طور پر کسی بھی سطح پر کوئی بھی حکمت عملی نہیں اپنائی گئی۔
انسانی حقوق کمیشن پاکستان کے رابطہ کار زمان خان کہتے ہیں ’جنرل ضیا کے دور میں ہم نے یہاں مذہبی منافرت کا ایک ایجنڈا بنایا مخصوص فرقوں کے خلاف نفرت پیدا کی اس کی ایک طویل تاریخ ہے۔ ایسے بہت سے گروہ جنہیں سرکاری سرپرستی بھی حاصل ہے وہ بھی فرقہ وارانہ نفرت پھیلا رہے ہیں ۔ تاہم اب اس میں علاقائی اور بین الاقوامی نفرت بھی شامل
ہو چکی ہے‘۔
Monday, January 7, 2013
Incidents of violence in Quetta claim three lives
DawnNews
Quetta police. — File Photo
QUETTA: Three people were killed and another three were injured in incidents of firing in various parts of Quetta, DawnNews reported on Monday.
According to the police, unknown gunmen opened fire on a taxi, killing one and injuring three others. The injured were shifted to the Central Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta where the conditions of two were reported to be critical.
Separately, a man was shot dead when unknown gunmen opened fire on the Fatima Jinnah Road situated in the eastern Quetta.
In another incident, unknown assailants gunned down a man in Kuchlak bazaar on the outskirts of Quetta. The deceased was said to be a native of Balochiastan’s Loralai district.
Quetta police. — File Photo
QUETTA: Three people were killed and another three were injured in incidents of firing in various parts of Quetta, DawnNews reported on Monday.
According to the police, unknown gunmen opened fire on a taxi, killing one and injuring three others. The injured were shifted to the Central Military Hospital (CMH) in Quetta where the conditions of two were reported to be critical.
Separately, a man was shot dead when unknown gunmen opened fire on the Fatima Jinnah Road situated in the eastern Quetta.
In another incident, unknown assailants gunned down a man in Kuchlak bazaar on the outskirts of Quetta. The deceased was said to be a native of Balochiastan’s Loralai district.
کوئٹہ: اسپنی روڈ پر نامعلوم افراد کی فائرنگ، ایک شخص جاں بحق، 3 زخمی
January 07, 2013 - Updated 1311 PKT
کوئٹہ … کوئٹہ میں نامعلوم افراد نے ٹیکسی پر فائرنگ کردی جس کے نتیجے میں ایک شخص جاں بحق جبکہ 3 افراد زخمی ہوگئے۔ فائرنگ کا واقعہ کوئٹہ کے نواحی علاقے اسپنی روڈ پر پیش آیا جہاں موٹر سائیکل سواروں نے ایک ٹیکسی کار پر فائرنگ کردی جس کے نتیجے میں اس میں سوار ایک شخص جاں بحق جبکہ 3 افراد زخمی ہوگئے، جاں بحق شخص کی لاش اور زخمیوں کو اسپتال منتقل کردیاگیا ہے۔ ذرائع کے مطابق جائے وقوعہ کے قریب ہی ایف سی کی چیک پوسٹ اور پولیس
آفس موجود ہونے کے باوجود ملزمان با آسانی فرار ہوگئے۔
Friday, January 4, 2013
Violence is on the rise in Balochistan: Report
Published: January 3, 2013
Sectarian strife and targeted killings continue to claim more victims by the day. DESIGN: FAIZAN DAWOOD
ISLAMABAD:
The past five years have been difficult for Balochistan according to statistics revealed by the home department. Violence in the province has claimed over 2,100 lives and left 3,845 injured in over 3,232 incidents of bomb blasts and rocket attacks in this period. Amidst rising sectarian strife and targeted killings, the government’s inability to deal with the situation appears more jarring than ever.
Throughout the province, sectarian killings remain the biggest challenge. From 2008 to 2012, 758 members of the Shia community were killed in 478 incidents. Of these, 338 victims belonged to the Hazara community, indicating that Hazaras remain the prime targets of these aggressions.
The province has become a base for a decade-long insurgency as well as a killing field for various sects. Banned outfit Lashkar-e-Jhangvi allegedly keeps targeting Shias throughout Balochistan. Accordingly, officials have beefed up safety measures from Quetta to Taftan and are even planning to hold meetings with Iranian authorities to discuss possible arrangements to facilitate the movement of Hazaras from Marriabad to Hazara Town and Hazar Ganji.
“The shia community, the Hazaras in particular, remains the prime target of violent groups in the province,” Balochistan Home Secretary Captain (retd) Akram Durrani told The Express Tribune when asked about these statistics. “We are struggling against militants, but the situation is not as bad as [what is] being reported.”
He added that the increasing trend of violence in Balochistan is alarming, regardless of the disparity between the reported numbers and the actual happenings on the ground.
The findings also uncover staggering ‘kill and dump’ statistics. Around 570 dead bodies have been found strewn throughout the province, with 370 of the victims belonging to the Baloch community and 89 to the Pashtun community. The rest remain unidentified to this day.
Further still, over 402 non-Baloch have been killed in 498 incidents, and over 486 injured in multiple attacks.
Not surprisingly, security personnel have also suffered great losses. As many as 340 Frontier Corps personnel and 380 policemen have lost their lives in the line of duty, and 508 security officials in total have been left wounded.
Analysts say that despite the staggering figures, the provincial government is yet to review regulations pertaining to the movement of pilgrims under the Travel Agency Act of 1976. In one instance, police decided to refer the investigation of ‘sensitive cases’ to the Crime Investigation Department after the arrest of alleged terrorist Sher Dil of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, also known as Babu, in a bid to curb violence in Balochistan.
Sectarian target killings
Number of incidents: 478
Number of Hazaras killed: 338
Total number of members of the Shia community killed: 758
Loss of security personnel
Frontier Corps personnel killed: 340
Policemen killed: 380
Security officials wounded: 508
‘Settlers’/ Non-Baloch target killings
Number of incidents: 498
Number of those killed: 402
Number of those injured: 486
‘Kill and dump’
Total number of bodies found in sacks: 570
Number of victims from the Baloch community: 370
Number of victims from the Pushtun community: 89
Unidentified victims: 111
Published in The Express Tribune, January 3rd, 2013.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Portuguese billionaire adds works inspired by Bamiyan Buddhas to his vast sculpture park
José Berardo plans to add sculpture by Fernando Botero and Tony Cragg among others to Quinta dos Loridos north of Lisbon
By Gareth Harris. Web only
Published online: 01 January 2013
José Berardo's sculpture was initially created in homage to the sixth-century Bamiyan Buddhas, destroyed by the Taliban in 2001
The Portuguese billionaire José Berardo has added an homage to the sixth-century Bamiyan Buddhas destroyed by the Taliban in 2001 to his sculpture park in Quinta dos Loridos, north of Lisbon. “We have not recreated the Buddhas themselves, rather we commissioned 6,000 tons of stone sculptures from [Chinese] artisans in the Shijiazhuang area,” says Zaid Abdali, the project manager, adding “6,000 tons being the estimated weight of the lost sculptures”. There are 1,217 sculptures dotted around the 35-hectare park, which has opened in phases since 2006. There is even an army of 45 terracotta warriors based on the real one discovered protecting the tomb of the Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huangdi.
On 26 February 2001, the leader of the then Taliban, Mullah Mohammed Omar, issued an order calling for the destruction of “all statues of non-Islamic shrines located in the different parts of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan”. Within five days the Taliban said it had destroyed two-thirds of the country’s statues, including the Bamiyan Valley’s colossal Buddhas. Berardo, the chairman of the investment company Metalgest, says he was “profoundly shocked” by the iconoclasm, prompting the ambitious sculpture project.
A new area dedicated to Modern and contemporary sculpture, due to open by this summer, will feature gargantuan works by Fernando Botero (Male Torso, 1992), Tony Cragg (Line of Thought, 2006) and Danny Lane (Stairway, 2005).
Lynn Chadwick’s stainless steel sculpture Ace of Diamonds III, 2003, and Zadok Ben-David’s bronze female figure Looking Back, 2005, also due to go on display. They were bought in 2007 by the collector from the Cass Sculpture Foundation, a charitable trust based in Goodwood in the south of England. Wilfred Cass, the charity’s co-founder, told The Art Newspaper in March 2007 that at the time, the number of works sold to Berardo was the largest single purchase ever made from the foundation by a foreign collector. Berardo’s acquisition budget for the park is undisclosed.
Hazaras’ appeal for security
From the Newspaper
THE rampant menace of extremism is slowly and steadily taking over the minds and souls of every individual in society.
Some time back I happen to visit the Capital City Police office in Quetta and noticed that a board on which photographs of police martyrs were placed was in a bad condition.
Pictures, specially of those belonging to the Hazara community, were torn apart.
I asked one of the officials about the cause of the destruction. He told me that last night the photographs were torn apart by some unknown person and it is still under investigation about who could have done such a shameful act.
However, the causes are still unknown. Being a member of the Hazara community, as well as a member of the police department, I was really shocked to see this and thought that the situation has came to such a pass that they could not even bear the photographs of the martyrs being placed in a government building, let alone spare our lives.
On the other hand, the police department, which has to provide security against such extremists, has to face terrorists having such mindset.
Another tragedy recently occurred at the Central Police Office, Quetta. The name plates outside the offices of the Hazara police officers were broken by some unknown person or persons while dirt was splattered on the plates.
In such a situation, I am afraid that the noose is being tightened around our neck and we are left with no option but to live in fear not only because of extremism, but also because of people around us with whom we have everyday business.
Or should I say we have to fear our shadows as well?
This is the situation we are living in. Through these columns, I want to alert the authorities having power to eradicate this menace. I would like them to act quickly.
Otherwise, the situation will get from bad to worse.
TAQI RAMZAN
Quetta
THE rampant menace of extremism is slowly and steadily taking over the minds and souls of every individual in society.
Some time back I happen to visit the Capital City Police office in Quetta and noticed that a board on which photographs of police martyrs were placed was in a bad condition.
Pictures, specially of those belonging to the Hazara community, were torn apart.
I asked one of the officials about the cause of the destruction. He told me that last night the photographs were torn apart by some unknown person and it is still under investigation about who could have done such a shameful act.
However, the causes are still unknown. Being a member of the Hazara community, as well as a member of the police department, I was really shocked to see this and thought that the situation has came to such a pass that they could not even bear the photographs of the martyrs being placed in a government building, let alone spare our lives.
On the other hand, the police department, which has to provide security against such extremists, has to face terrorists having such mindset.
Another tragedy recently occurred at the Central Police Office, Quetta. The name plates outside the offices of the Hazara police officers were broken by some unknown person or persons while dirt was splattered on the plates.
In such a situation, I am afraid that the noose is being tightened around our neck and we are left with no option but to live in fear not only because of extremism, but also because of people around us with whom we have everyday business.
Or should I say we have to fear our shadows as well?
This is the situation we are living in. Through these columns, I want to alert the authorities having power to eradicate this menace. I would like them to act quickly.
Otherwise, the situation will get from bad to worse.
TAQI RAMZAN
Quetta
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