Azaranica is a non-biased news aggregator on Hazaras. The main aim is to promote understanding and respect for cultural identities by highlighting the realities they face on daily basis...Hazaras have been the victim of active persecution and discrimination and one of the reasons among many has been the lack of information, awareness, and disinformation.

Friday, July 13, 2012

Child Labor in Bamiyan Coal Mine


VIEW : Hazaras and the poison against them — Part II — Liaquat Ali Hazara

The Hazaras, including the religious scholars, have always vehemently condemned killings of non-Hazaras, especially the clerics and prayer imams

Surat Khan Marri’s writing in this regard (Hazaras in the army) has been the poorest as he tries to simplify the selection process that the army would blindly recruit the Hazaras from Balochistan. Had this been the case, I am quite sure that the Pakistan army would have recruited Baloch nomads, shepherds and peasants in large numbers to provide better representation to the province.

Mentioning the Central Superior Services (CSS), which fill vacant posts of various respectable groups through the Federal Public Service Commission, the country of 180 million people knows better that the chairperson and the members of the FPSC have not been Hazaras, who had the privilege to allocate seats to Hazara candidates at federal level. The writer has overlooked to name the Hazara members of the FPSC in order to enlighten his readers about these unfair treatments and malpractices.

Ali Zaheer Hazara is a refined example of being a CSP Officer who made all three attempts of the CSS examination, and he passed the three-tier selection process to be allocated with seats in Office Management Group, Foreign Office and the District Management Group. His flair and attention to join the civil services as a CSP officer turned true when he joined it as a DMG officer.

Since then, several other talented Hazara youths have followed the footsteps of the aforesaid Hazara CSP officer, who are now serving the country in different groups. As far as the Hazara army officers’ induction into the civil services is concerned, everyone knows that the Pakistan army, under the constitution of Pakistan, reserves a quota of 10 percent for all commissioned army officers who wish to be permanently inducted into the civil services. Their induction into the civil services is also subject to appearing for a written and interview test and obtaining the aggregate marks. The army personnel who intend to enter civil services remain the employees of the federal government throughout; their services are at the disposal of the Federal government and they can be posted anywhere in Pakistan. The Hazara ex-army personnel serving in Balochistan have followed a straightforward and rigorous selection process, which dilutes the notion of nepotism, etc, as it is nearly impossible to find any Hazara in the selection board/panel. It is a far cry to denote that these Hazara officers have recruited other Hazaras in abundance as the selection process in government departments and ministries involves written tests and interviews, conducted under the supervision of the competent authority who definitely comprise non-Hazaras.

The Hazaras are the only stakeholders of this province who have been bluntly appealing to the Balochistan government to abolish permanently the quota system for government vacancies in order for pure merit to be applied. We have succinctly demanded that the same medium be exercised for admissions at various colleges and universities in the province but, alas, the Balochistan provincial government turns a deaf ear to these pleas.

It is nonsensical to label General Musa Khan as someone who could have abused his powers. The official records reveal that he even returned the lands bestowed on him by the government in recognition of his services to the country.

The Hazaras, like other recognised tribes of Pakistan, were declared Local in 1954, which may be verified from the relevant department of the government. Statements made by Marri bear no resemblance to the truth. General Musa Khan served as governor of West Pakistan from 1967 to 1969. Supposing the writer’s notion was true that General Musa Khan, through an ordinance, declared Hazaras as local, what was the constitutional weight of this ordinance? Can a mere governor, who oversees the functions of the provincial government and serves the country as a representative of the federal government, be entrusted with such infinite powers? Could this ordinance not be challenged in a court of law? Could the federal government not repeal this ordinance?

The writer has further tried to link Iran as a patron and well-wisher of the Hazaras, which is completely baseless. Iran, in essence, is an independent state with its foreign policy aligned to match its national interests. I must enlighten the readers that the Hazaras — who migrated to Iran during the cruel regime of Abdur Rehman in the 1880s — are still treated as illegal immigrants despite spending over 130 years in the country. The Hazaras are not allowed to engage in businesses nor can they have education beyond the GCSC level. Their fundamental rights are denied and they are still subjected to frustrating physical labour at minimal wages. At present, the Hazaras who migrated to Iran, due to unemployment and the cruelties of the Taliban, have to face different forms of human rights violations, including bonded labour, exploitation of workers at brick kilns, on agricultural lands and in factories. Why would Iran support the Hazaras in Quetta, who are ethnically Mongols? The dichotomy is explicitly clear from the passage of the writer in which he declared the Hazaras as strong-built and hardworking. The literacy rate in Hazaras, at present, is over 90 percent and the majority of them are educated to degree level. The properties, lands and businesses the Hazaras own today are the result of their incessant hard work. Everyone knows that the entire Quetta city is in the grip of extreme fear and uncertainty. This has created an atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust. The locals living in the city have been compelled to the extent of taking precautionary steps to minimise human losses. At this critical juncture, the Hazaras are under complete siege, who have to make internal arrangements to safeguard their fellow tribesmen.

The Hazaras have never targeted any prayer leaders nor did they ever intend to be involved in sectarian violence. There were over 500 Baloch families living among Hazaras in Meherabad since the birth of the country but nobody ever disturbed any non-Hazara in the vicinity despite the relentless attacks on them. Although a majority of these Baloch have voluntarily shifted to other safer places of the city, there are still Baloch in Meherabad who run their routine businesses without any problem. The Hazaras, including religious scholars, have always vehemently condemned the killings of non-Hazaras, especially the clerics and prayer imams, terming them as a conspiracy against the brother nations of the province.

(Concluded)

The writer is a London-based freelance journalist, and the chairperson of a political organisation, known as Hazara United Movement (HUM)

(This controversy is now closed — Ed)

The Hazara People of Afghanistan


گزارشی از چهارمین جشنواره راه ابریشم

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Ibrar Hussain’s last fight: we lost

Ali Moeen Nawazish

Monday, July 09, 2012
From Print Edition

It was 1987, the South Asian Games, in Kolkata India. There was out roar over a decision in boxing that many considered as unlawful. The match was between Pakistan and India, and while Pakistan had been the dominant side throughout the Indian side was declared victorious. The match refrees and judges could not sustain the pressure of their home crowd. The decision left the Pakistani boxer heartbroken, not for losing but for not being able to raise his national flag and national anthem in India. He had been unsuccessful, yet his passion for Pakistan never diminished and he did not give up.

After three years in 1990 at the Asian Games in China, the same boxer was standing again crying. Yet, this time instead of tears of sorrow they were tears of joy. The Asian Games was a much bigger event. It was a rematch of the same South Asian Games match from Kolkata. He stood victorious having defeated his counterpart who he had unfairly lost to before. It was the semi-final match and he had reached the finals. Yet, the winning streak did not end there for the same boxer reached the finals and won the Gold Medal. He had proven himself to be strong, bold and determined.

The name of this boxer is Ibrar Hussain and he belonged to Balochistan. He was the first boxer from Balochistan who represented Pakistan in the Asian Games and won the gold medal. For his accomplishments he was awarded two of Pakistan’s highest civil awards, the “Pride of Performance Award” and “Sitara-e-Imtiaz”.

Last year Ibrar Hussain stood crying again, this time the tears were not of joy or sadness and neither because of victory or defeat. The tears were much grimmer and the last tears he would ever cry. Ibrar Hussain had been shot, a victim of target killing. He was going home from his office in Quetta when he was attacked. The national hero, who had done so much for Pakistan was left only to ask, is this my reward? Is this all that was left for me?

Ibrar Hussain became the victim of the sectarian wave and ethnic violence that is spreading across Balochistan. I am writing about him today because of a message I received, “Salaam Nawazish bhai.

There is no peace for me, my family, my friends and relatives in my community. I belong to Hazara Community from Quetta. We have been killed brutally every day almost. Yesterday, our people returning by road from Iran in a bus were hit by a car driven by a suicide bomber. 14 people were killed and we buried them. I belong to the family of late Olympian Boxer Syed Ibrar Hussain Shah. What has Pakistan given back to him and his family except his dead body with several bullets in his head? Is this the Pakistan we are proud of? I am ready to give my life for Pakistan, I love Pakistan. But, I don’t want to waste my life like Ibrar Hussain.”

The Hazara community has a population of 8 million, 5.5 million are the residents of Afghanistan, 1.5 million of Iran, and 0.7 million of Pakistan. By origin the community is considered Turk-Mongol of the Afghanistan. In the 13th century they became target on the cast, ethnic and religion bias. This wave forced them to migrate from Afghanistan to the neighboring states like Pakistan, Iran and other Central Asian States. A century ago the forefathers of the Hazara community came to Quetta which at the time was a garrison city of the British government as refugees and have settled there since. Presently, the Hazara community is living in different parts of Pakistan, but the majority still lives in Quetta.

For a very long time there was peaceful co-existence, but extremist organizations took hold under General Zia’s rule and sectarian and ethnic violence started ever since. While the organizations have been banned they have still continued their role and work. According to one estimate, the community has faced more than 50 terrorists’ attacks, which have affected the lives of more than 2500 innocent people and have taken the lives of more than 550 people. No one is taking serious look into this issue. The government is just routinely condemning the attacks where as its own writ is challenged. There is not much that can be said when at times it seems the chief minister of the province himself spends more time in Karachi than in Balochistan.
The youth of Balochistan is worried about the situation and wants security. They want their fundamental right as citizens of Pakistan to live peacefully. The youth still wants to do a lot for Pakistan, but they don’t want to die in vain like Ibrar Hussain did. For Ibrar Hussain fought his last fight and we all lost.

The writer is Youth Ambassador of Geo and Jang Group. Email: am.nawazish@janggroup.com.pk Facebook: facebook.com/ali.moeen.nawazish Twitter: @amNAWAZISH

Letter from Quetta: ‘I too had a dream, but being a Pakistani Shia, it will remain a dream’ – by S. Batool




Editor’s Note: In this time of distress and misfortune, LUBP stands with all oppressed people, and demands of the government to ensure equal treatment of its citizens. It seems that after covert complicity with the terrorists, the state of Pakistan has now decided to overtly deprive the ‘undesirable groups’ of even basic amenities of life. This heart-wrenching narration of the treatment meted out to Shia-Hazara students of Quetta shows that the state is not only indirectly involved in genocide of Shias through its proxies, but its policies are now bordering on overt apartheid. Not much is left to say, just as not much is left for the minorities in Pakistan to live for, but one statement can suffice: ‘Pakistan, you are a failed state’.

===========================================

It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story, but today here’s the single voice to represent the thousand voices.
Unlike routine days, my phone beeped several times that made me wake up while I was asleep. I checked my phone and my breath was taken away,
‘Plz ask —- If she is alright, Did — go to university today? , Is —- Alright? Make sure if —- is alright…’
The darkest day to be remembered in the history of Pakistan; it was a remote control bomb blast on BUITEMS University Bus. This blast took away 6 lives leaving behind 25+ severely injured talents.
University faculty didn’t utter a single word in condemnation, this was not enough to cut apart an already wounded community that within a two-day gap, another University ‘Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University, Balochistan’ arranged a separate University bus for Shia Hazara students.

I was in the University that day, rumors circulated that Hazara students are supposed to travel by a separate bus – this was ordered on the call of other communities’ request to the VC of the University. I didn’t doubt VC to be such a sap-head to act upon the call, however, my expectations dusted and we were asked to travel by the separate bus.
Agony hooked my mind. I felt very much alone, was over-whelmed by grief, and I expected sympathy. I found no sympathy; I saw only faces of my co-Hazara students as badly mangled as mine. I looked around, hundreds of eyes were staring. Cruel, pitiless stares. Angry stares, unfeeling cold stares.
You are alone here! I murmured to myself and got on the bus provided. That day ended with utter chaos as we then landed to our places with a bang on our heads. Can they be this selfish? I could have never imagined.

Nevertheless, the next day’s sun arose with which I witnessed courage that ran chills up and down my spine because by then I had decided not to give up and stand against the melting pot of apparent Muslims, but actually terrorist jihadists attacking my faith and those cruel stares leaving me alone the previous day.

“University Buses are jammed for Alamdar Road (where Shia Hazara students reside) “was yet another blow within 2 days. This cracked up my nerves. No transport-No University-No Education, Period.
I frozed, dazed and pinned down. My mind screamed, No! Education is my right!

It was 18 June, 2012 and today it is 11 July 2012 and we are still sitting at homes as no transport
facility is provided to us. Is there anyone who could show up a fraction of humanity? , Who could feel that we are also Pakistani and we have the rights to enjoy equal freedom in Pakistan?

Hear me O’ the failed Government; jailing us is not the solution, why don’t you jail those LeJ rats whose residents are all known to you?
They attacked on the University bus, you jammed it for us.
They attacked the Passenger bus for Iran, you jammed that.
Tomorrow they will attack us at our homes; will you then shift us to some mountain cage?

O the silent spectators/Government/ISI agencies , wake up, wake up from deep slumber, Today it is us, Tomorrow it will be your own daughters and sons , it is only the matter of interest – This is the only cry of my soul , a deep rumble, shattering the predawn silence.
I once had a dream, a dream of being among the graduates marching around the pavilion in caps and gowns – But being a Shia , it seems it will remain a dream.

Pen it down and know it, we are motivated to exist and resist before the inhuman acts of all the veiled and un-veiled terrorists.

I am Leaving now to slay the foe
Fight the battles, high and low
I’ve grown my wings, I want to fly
Seize my victories where they lie
I want to shake the dead souls
though there are dangers , there are fears
Carve my niche, sew my seams.

A hopeful and hopeless Shia Hazara student.