Monday, July 1, 2013
Pakistan bleeds with Hazara blood, do you even care?
July 1, 2013
How many more dead bodies must they put under the open skies for us to realise what monstrosity has just ripped through us? PHOTO: AFP
“My heart cries tears of blood for the Hazaras… #ShiaGenocide, when will we wake up?… What has Pakistan come to?! Oh God!!… This country does not deserve to be called “PAK-istan”…”
These statements are clichés. They mean nothing. They have no purpose. They’re just uttered to make ourselves feel good about atrocities which we mostly can’t, and usually won’t do anything about.
At least 46 people died yesterday. How many of us cared? 18 people died in Peshawar yesterday. How many of us bothered to find out three kids died in that attack?
How many of us had the apathy to find out that the doctors and rescue teams ran in terror as the terrorists from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) allegedly told them they would be murdered if they tried to treat the “kaafir” Shiites who desperately needed treatment?
“I’m going to launch a protest movement on Facebook! Enough is enough!… I’m live tweeting the #HazaraGenocide… This madness needs to stop!…”
Yesterday when David Cameron was standing under the open skies of Islamabad, people were dying in Peshawar. While our leaders were busy making promises to fight terrorism, and eradicate the electricity menace, kids were burning, screaming, dying.
Did a single hair on their heads ruffle? Did they shudder?
Did they feel a cold settling in their guts? Did anyone care enough to go to Peshawar and look the mother of the 6-year-old girl in the eye and tell her,
“I’ve failed… Forgive me? We’ve all failed, forgive us all…?”
I used to think Pakistan belonged to us. But recently I have realised Karachi belongs to A, Quetta belongs to B, and Lahore belongs to C. Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) belongs to the foreigners, and Islamabad is home to ostriches.
Pakistan is not mine. Even my home is not mine. I am not a Pakistani. None of us are. Or ever were. It was a delusion that took 65 years to wear off, it seems.
Abul Kalam Azad, a fierce opponent of the Pakistan movement had predicted in 1946 what would happen to us. East Pakistan would break, and the west wing of Pakistan which was to be ruled by feudal lords, and uneducated loafers would self destruct.
Abul Kalam Azad said in 1946 this delusional idea of “we’re all Muslims and hence one nation” is false. We are not one nation. We are Sunni, Shiite, Ahmadi, Barelvi, Wahabi, Sufi, Salafi, Hanbali, Ismaili, Alawi, Naqshbani, Uwaiysi, Qadri, Zikri and so on and so forth. And amongst these we are Takfiris, incapable of accepting the faith of another, or living by it.
“Shias are kaafirs, they deserve what they’re getting… Our movement is to get Shias declared as non Muslims under the constitution of Pakistan… Killing Shias is tantamount to killing the enemies of Islam, and that is what Islam tells us….”
It seems such a long time when I was apologising to the Shiites, but even that apology sounds fake, and hollow, and distraught.
Last time the Hazaras took 86 dead bodies and waited in the open cold under the star less night waiting for deliverance which never came. How many more dead bodies must they put under the open skies for us to realise what monstrosity has just ripped through us?
“They say after every fall, there is a rise…. But the bottom feels like an endless pit of sweltering tar that’s pulling us deeper inside….”
Pakistan started dying the day it was born. Our “Islam”, our “Musalmaniyat” was the cancer that started feeding the hate and disgust that we feel toward one another.
Once upon a time it was the Christians and Hindus and Parsis who felt scared. Now we Muslims feel scared of other Muslims. Islam’s neck was held by the throat and squeezed till its eyes popped. As a result Islam was replaced by a vicious form of barbarianism.
When Pakistan started dying, we held candlelit vigils. We made Facebook pages dedicated to the cause of defending our fallen brothers. We promised we’re all Pakistanis. But one by one we kept falling.
When Pakistan started dying we Tweeted nonstop. We shouted, fought, but we lost. When it was our turn to be slaughtered like animals, we cried and we begged for mercy that was never forthcoming.
They came for the Hindus. We didn’t care.
They came for the Christians. We didn’t care.
They came for the Ahmadis. We said Ahmadis deserve this!
They slaughtered Salman Taseer. We garlanded his murderer.
They came for the Shias. We turned a blind eye.
They’re coming for us and there is nothing anybody is doing about it.
This post originally appeared here
Read more by Hamza here or follow him on Twitter @hmz_89
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
How many more dead bodies must they put under the open skies for us to realise what monstrosity has just ripped through us? PHOTO: AFP
“My heart cries tears of blood for the Hazaras… #ShiaGenocide, when will we wake up?… What has Pakistan come to?! Oh God!!… This country does not deserve to be called “PAK-istan”…”
These statements are clichés. They mean nothing. They have no purpose. They’re just uttered to make ourselves feel good about atrocities which we mostly can’t, and usually won’t do anything about.
At least 46 people died yesterday. How many of us cared? 18 people died in Peshawar yesterday. How many of us bothered to find out three kids died in that attack?
How many of us had the apathy to find out that the doctors and rescue teams ran in terror as the terrorists from Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) allegedly told them they would be murdered if they tried to treat the “kaafir” Shiites who desperately needed treatment?
“I’m going to launch a protest movement on Facebook! Enough is enough!… I’m live tweeting the #HazaraGenocide… This madness needs to stop!…”
Yesterday when David Cameron was standing under the open skies of Islamabad, people were dying in Peshawar. While our leaders were busy making promises to fight terrorism, and eradicate the electricity menace, kids were burning, screaming, dying.
Did a single hair on their heads ruffle? Did they shudder?
Did they feel a cold settling in their guts? Did anyone care enough to go to Peshawar and look the mother of the 6-year-old girl in the eye and tell her,
“I’ve failed… Forgive me? We’ve all failed, forgive us all…?”
I used to think Pakistan belonged to us. But recently I have realised Karachi belongs to A, Quetta belongs to B, and Lahore belongs to C. Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) belongs to the foreigners, and Islamabad is home to ostriches.
Pakistan is not mine. Even my home is not mine. I am not a Pakistani. None of us are. Or ever were. It was a delusion that took 65 years to wear off, it seems.
Abul Kalam Azad, a fierce opponent of the Pakistan movement had predicted in 1946 what would happen to us. East Pakistan would break, and the west wing of Pakistan which was to be ruled by feudal lords, and uneducated loafers would self destruct.
Abul Kalam Azad said in 1946 this delusional idea of “we’re all Muslims and hence one nation” is false. We are not one nation. We are Sunni, Shiite, Ahmadi, Barelvi, Wahabi, Sufi, Salafi, Hanbali, Ismaili, Alawi, Naqshbani, Uwaiysi, Qadri, Zikri and so on and so forth. And amongst these we are Takfiris, incapable of accepting the faith of another, or living by it.
“Shias are kaafirs, they deserve what they’re getting… Our movement is to get Shias declared as non Muslims under the constitution of Pakistan… Killing Shias is tantamount to killing the enemies of Islam, and that is what Islam tells us….”
It seems such a long time when I was apologising to the Shiites, but even that apology sounds fake, and hollow, and distraught.
Last time the Hazaras took 86 dead bodies and waited in the open cold under the star less night waiting for deliverance which never came. How many more dead bodies must they put under the open skies for us to realise what monstrosity has just ripped through us?
“They say after every fall, there is a rise…. But the bottom feels like an endless pit of sweltering tar that’s pulling us deeper inside….”
Pakistan started dying the day it was born. Our “Islam”, our “Musalmaniyat” was the cancer that started feeding the hate and disgust that we feel toward one another.
Once upon a time it was the Christians and Hindus and Parsis who felt scared. Now we Muslims feel scared of other Muslims. Islam’s neck was held by the throat and squeezed till its eyes popped. As a result Islam was replaced by a vicious form of barbarianism.
When Pakistan started dying, we held candlelit vigils. We made Facebook pages dedicated to the cause of defending our fallen brothers. We promised we’re all Pakistanis. But one by one we kept falling.
When Pakistan started dying we Tweeted nonstop. We shouted, fought, but we lost. When it was our turn to be slaughtered like animals, we cried and we begged for mercy that was never forthcoming.
They came for the Hindus. We didn’t care.
They came for the Christians. We didn’t care.
They came for the Ahmadis. We said Ahmadis deserve this!
They slaughtered Salman Taseer. We garlanded his murderer.
They came for the Shias. We turned a blind eye.
They’re coming for us and there is nothing anybody is doing about it.
This post originally appeared here
Read more by Hamza here or follow him on Twitter @hmz_89
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
Quetta Hazara town bombing: Victims buried under strict security
DAWN.COM | SYED ALI SHAH
Rescuers and residents gather at the suicide attack site in Quetta on June 30, 2013.—Photo by AFP
Updated 2013-07-01 16:09:50
QUETTA: All 30 victims of a deadly suicide bombing in Quetta’s Hazara town were laid to rest on Monday amid tight security from police and paramilitary troops.
A large number of people were present at the burial under security cover by the provincial administration. Security was also tightened in and around Hazara Town to prevent the occurrence of another untoward incident. Frontier Corps (FC) and police personnel were deployed at all exit and entry points leading to Hazara town.
A day of mourning was being observed in Quetta in the wake of the blast on the call of the Hazara Democratic Party, Shia Council and the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP). All government offices were shut in the provincial capital to mourn the tragedy, and the main markets in the city also remained closed.
The deadly suicide blast ripped through the Aliabad area of Hazara town on Sunday night, claiming 30 lives and leaving around 70 wounded.
“A suicide bomber blew himself up near a barrier close to Ali Ibn-Abu-Talib Imambargah,” DIG (Investigation) Syed Mobin Ahmed had told Dawn.
The explosion killed 28 people and wounded 70 people belonging to the ethnic Shia Hazara minority on Sunday. Two of the wounded later succumbed to their injuries at the military-run Combined Military Hospital on Monday morning, raising the death toll to 30.
Sources said that an unidentified man on a bicycle tried to enter the area and when people standing near the barrier tried to stop him he blew himself up.
The proscribed Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility of the attack.
Meanwhile, police have traced the head and some body parts of a suicide bomber behind a deadly blast.
Fayyaz Sumbal, the Deputy Inspector General Police, told Dawn.com on Monday that the head and body parts of the suicide-bomber would soon be sent for forensic tests. He said investigators had also approached Nadra for identification of the suicide bomber.
Earlier on Monday, senior government official Shehzada Farhat told Dawn.com that some of the injured persons were still serious in serious condition. The wounded were being treated at the CMH.
A six-member police team has been formed to probe the deadly bombing. The Superintendent of the Police Investigation, Muhammad Tariq, was designated to lead the team. A case against the unknown militants was also registered at the Browery Police Station.
Meanwhile, investigators from the secret services investigated the site of the incident and checked the wreckage of the blast for clues.
DIG Sumbal, however, told Dawn.com on Monday that no suspect had yet been detained by police after Sunday night’s deadly bombing.
کوئٹہ: ہلاکتوں کی تعداد تیس، تحقیقاتی کمیٹی قائم
آخری وقت اشاعت: پير 1 جولائ 2013 , 07:56 GMT 12:56 PST
ہلاک ہونے والوں کی تدفین آج کی جائے گی
بلوچستان کے دارالحکومت کوئٹہ میں اتوار کو ہزارہ ٹاؤن میں ہونے والے خودکش بم حملے میں ہلاک ہونے والوں کی تعداد تیس ہو گئی اور پچاس افراد زخمی ہیں۔
کوئٹہ کے ڈی آئی جی آپریشن کے مطابق دھماکے کی تحقیقات کے لیے ایس پی انویسٹی گیشن کی سربراہی میں چھ رکنی کمیٹی تشکیل دی گئی ہے۔ ہلاک ہونے والے افراد کی تدفین کر دی گئی۔
اطلاعات کے مطابق زخمی ہونے والے پچاس افراد میں سے بعض کی حالت نازک ہے۔
دوسری جانب کوئٹہ میں شیعہ برادری کی تنظیم تحفظ اعزادری کی اپیل پر شڑ ڈاؤن ہڑتال کی جا رہی ہے۔کوئٹہ سے نامہ نگار محمد کاظم نے بتایا کہ شہر میں ہڑتال کا زیادہ اثر شیعہ اکثریتی علاقوں میں ہے۔ شیعہ تنظیموں نے تین روزہ سوگ کا اعلان بھی کر رکھا ہے۔
اتوار کو کوئٹہ مغربی علاقے ہزارہ ٹاؤن میں رات آٹھ بجے ایک زوردار دھماکہ ہوا۔
کوئٹہ پولیس کے اعلیٰ افسر ڈی آئی جی فیاض سنبل نے بتایا ہے کہ ہزارہ ٹاؤن کے علاقے میں ہونے والا دھماکہ خود کش حملے کا نتیجہ تھا۔
ہزارہ ٹاؤن میں شیعہ مسلک سے تعلق رکھنے والے مسلمانوں کی آبادی ہے اور انھیں اسے پہلے بھی نشانہ بنایا جاتا رہا ہے۔ رواں سال فروری میں فروٹ مارکیٹ میں ہونے والے ایک زوردار دھماکے میں کم از کم سو افراد ہلاک ہوگئے تھے۔ شیعہ ہزارہ برادری شدت پسند حملوں کے خلاف احتجاجی مظاہرے بھی کر چکے ہیں۔
جنوری میں شیعہ ہزارہ نے شدت پسندی کے واقعے میں ہلاکتوں کے بعد اپنے پیاروں کی میتوں کو دفنانے سے انکار کر دیا تھا اور صوبے میں گورنر راج نافذ کر کے کوئٹہ شہر میں فوجی آپریشن کا مطالبہ کیا تھا۔ تقریباً دو دن تک جاری رہنے والے احتجاجی دھرنے کے بعد صوبے میں دو ماہ کے لیے گورنر راج نافذ کر دیا گیا تھا۔
بلوچستان میں نئی حکومت کے قیام کے بعد سے کوئٹہ میں شدت پسندی کے واقعات میں ایک بار پھر اضافہ دیکھنے میں آیا ہے۔ کوئٹہ میں گزشتہ ماہ دو دھماکوں اور فائرنگ کے واقعے میں کوئٹہ کے ڈپٹی کمشنر اور چودہ طالبات سمیت 25 افراد ہلاک جبکہ اسسٹنٹ کمشنر اور ایف سی کے کپتان سمیت پچیس سے زیادہ لوگ زخمی ہو گئے تھے۔
اس سے پہلے اتوار کو ہی صوبہ خیبر پختونخوا کے دارالحکومت پشاور کے مضافات میں نیم فوجی دستے کے ایک قافلے کے قریب ریموٹ کنٹرول دھماکے سے دو بچوں سمیت سترہ افراد ہلاک اورتین ایف سی کے اہلکاروں سمیت سینتالیس افراد زخمی ہو گئے تھے۔
یہ واقعہ بعد دوپہر اینڈس ہائی وے پر بڈھ بیر تھانے کے قریب پیش آیا۔گزشتہ سال دسمبر میں وزارت داخلہ کی جانب سے جاری ایک رپورٹ میں کہا گیا تھا کہ پشاور کے مضافات میں بڈھ بیر اور متنی میں شدت پسندوں کے حملوں میں اضافہ تشویشناک ہے۔ حکومت کی جانب سے ان حملوں کو روکنے کے لیے کوئی ٹھوس اقدامات نظر نہیں آ رہے۔
Sunday, June 30, 2013
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