Vote for Herald Person of the Year (Hazara Community is nominated for peaceful resistance in the wake of persistent terror)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
BBC World Service: 'Hell on Earth': Inside Quetta's Hazara community
By Mobeen AzharBBC World Service
The attacks killed more than 120 people, most of them from the Hazara Shia community, in a campaign strategically planned to inflict maximum carnage.
Quetta's Hazara community is on the front line of Pakistan's battle with violent extremism.
Ruqsana Bibi lost three of her four sons on that day. The walls of her modest home are filled with family pictures. She sits on the floor holding three frames. Each contains a picture of one of the children she lost.
"I ran to the mosque barefoot and I saw the bodies of my three sons. I kissed their faces. I carried them to the cemetery myself. The eldest was Khadim Husain. I said to him: 'You must take care of your brothers in the grave.' I don't know what happened to me then. People took me home."
Mrs Bibi says her grandsons, aged nine and five, are afraid that they too will be "martyred" one day.
"They say: 'Who are these people killing us?' Who are these people that are stirring up trouble between Sunnis and Shias? It didn't used to be like this."
Mrs Bibi's family, like almost all of the victims of the Quetta attacks, are Hazara.
Hazaras are ethnically Mongolian, with oriental features and light skin, different from much of Pakistan's population.
The vast majority of Hazaras are Shia Muslim and are therefore declared "heretics" by militant Sunni Islamist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Quetta is home to more than half a million Hazara Shias, making them an easy target for Sunni extremists who want to punish their "heresy" with violence.
Five weeks after the attack on the snooker hall, another bomb was detonated in a crowded market place in Quetta, killing almost 90 people.
It happened as people, mainly women, were shopping for groceries and schoolchildren were coming out of their classes.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for both attacks.
The group released a statement declaring that they planned to turn Quetta into "a graveyard for Shias".
Fighting for survival
The extreme violence in Quetta means many Hazaras feel pessimistic about their future in Pakistan. Nargis Ali, 19, was planning on going to Balochistan University, in Quetta.
But faced with the security risks, her parents have asked her to give up on academia.
Ruqsana Bibi at the cemetary in Quetta where her sons are buried
For years Quetta in Pakistan has rarely been visited by foreign media organisations, as it is considered too dangerous. Now a World Service investigation has uncovered the reality of life for the city's persecuted Hazara Shia community in what some describe as "hell on earth".
On 10 January 2013, a suicide bomber walked into a packed snooker hall in Quetta and detonated an explosive device, marking the beginning of what would become the bloodiest day in Pakistan's recent history.
Eight people died in the initial blast and the area soon became flooded with people trying to help. A second bomb planted on an ambulance was then detonated.
For years Quetta in Pakistan has rarely been visited by foreign media organisations, as it is considered too dangerous. Now a World Service investigation has uncovered the reality of life for the city's persecuted Hazara Shia community in what some describe as "hell on earth".
On 10 January 2013, a suicide bomber walked into a packed snooker hall in Quetta and detonated an explosive device, marking the beginning of what would become the bloodiest day in Pakistan's recent history.
Eight people died in the initial blast and the area soon became flooded with people trying to help. A second bomb planted on an ambulance was then detonated.
The attacks killed more than 120 people, most of them from the Hazara Shia community, in a campaign strategically planned to inflict maximum carnage.
Quetta's Hazara community is on the front line of Pakistan's battle with violent extremism.
Ruqsana Bibi lost three of her four sons on that day. The walls of her modest home are filled with family pictures. She sits on the floor holding three frames. Each contains a picture of one of the children she lost.
"I ran to the mosque barefoot and I saw the bodies of my three sons. I kissed their faces. I carried them to the cemetery myself. The eldest was Khadim Husain. I said to him: 'You must take care of your brothers in the grave.' I don't know what happened to me then. People took me home."
Mrs Bibi says her grandsons, aged nine and five, are afraid that they too will be "martyred" one day.
"They say: 'Who are these people killing us?' Who are these people that are stirring up trouble between Sunnis and Shias? It didn't used to be like this."
Mrs Bibi's family, like almost all of the victims of the Quetta attacks, are Hazara.
Hazaras are ethnically Mongolian, with oriental features and light skin, different from much of Pakistan's population.
The vast majority of Hazaras are Shia Muslim and are therefore declared "heretics" by militant Sunni Islamist groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.
Quetta is home to more than half a million Hazara Shias, making them an easy target for Sunni extremists who want to punish their "heresy" with violence.
Five weeks after the attack on the snooker hall, another bomb was detonated in a crowded market place in Quetta, killing almost 90 people.
It happened as people, mainly women, were shopping for groceries and schoolchildren were coming out of their classes.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for both attacks.
The group released a statement declaring that they planned to turn Quetta into "a graveyard for Shias".
Fighting for survival
The extreme violence in Quetta means many Hazaras feel pessimistic about their future in Pakistan. Nargis Ali, 19, was planning on going to Balochistan University, in Quetta.
But faced with the security risks, her parents have asked her to give up on academia.
A suicide bomber detonated his device in this Quetta snooker hall in January
"I got brilliant results but even the university staff say they cannot guarantee my safety. My parents really wanted me to study but they are just so scared of what will happen," she told the BBC.
"Education is the most important thing to me - but what choice do we have?"
Many young Hazaras have fled Quetta, in the hope of claiming asylum in Australia and Europe. It is estimated that 90% of those fleeing the violence do so illegally..... Continue Reading..
"I got brilliant results but even the university staff say they cannot guarantee my safety. My parents really wanted me to study but they are just so scared of what will happen," she told the BBC.
"Education is the most important thing to me - but what choice do we have?"
Many young Hazaras have fled Quetta, in the hope of claiming asylum in Australia and Europe. It is estimated that 90% of those fleeing the violence do so illegally..... Continue Reading..
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Monday, November 25, 2013
Targeted killing: Hazara man shot dead in Quetta
By Our Correspondent
Published: November 25, 2013
The body of the victim was shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex Teaching Hospital. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
QUETTA:
A man was shot dead in an attack apparently triggered by sectarian hatred on Kirani Road in Quetta on Sunday.
According to police officials, gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on the victim, Arif Hussain, killing him on the spot. The gunmen fled the scene soon after the shooting.
The body of the victim, who belonged to the ethnic Hazara community, was shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex (BMC) Teaching Hospital.
Police registered a case against unidentified men and have launched an investigation into the incident.
In a separate incident, a man identified as Abdul Ghafoor was shot dead when gunmen opened fire at his shop in the Saryab Mill area on the edge of Quetta.
It wasn’t immediately known who killed Ghafoor and why.
There have been two major attacks against the Hazara community in Balochistan this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2013.
Published: November 25, 2013
The body of the victim was shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex Teaching Hospital. PHOTO: REUTERS/FILE
QUETTA:
A man was shot dead in an attack apparently triggered by sectarian hatred on Kirani Road in Quetta on Sunday.
According to police officials, gunmen riding on a motorcycle opened fire on the victim, Arif Hussain, killing him on the spot. The gunmen fled the scene soon after the shooting.
The body of the victim, who belonged to the ethnic Hazara community, was shifted to the Bolan Medical Complex (BMC) Teaching Hospital.
Police registered a case against unidentified men and have launched an investigation into the incident.
In a separate incident, a man identified as Abdul Ghafoor was shot dead when gunmen opened fire at his shop in the Saryab Mill area on the edge of Quetta.
It wasn’t immediately known who killed Ghafoor and why.
There have been two major attacks against the Hazara community in Balochistan this year.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 25th, 2013.
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
سریاب روڈ پر نامعلوم موٹر سائیکل سواروں کی فائرنگ ایک شخص جاں بحق
کوئٹہ ( قدرت نیوز)سریاب روڈ پر نامعلوم موٹر سائیکل سواروں کی فائرنگ ایک شخص جاں بحق تفصیلات کے مطابق منگل کی شام سریاب روڈ سدا بہار ٹرمینل کے قریب نامعلوم موٹر سائیکل سواروں نے فائرنگ کرکے ایک شخص محمد قاسم ولد اختر محمد کو شدید زخمی کردیا زخمی کو فوری طور پر سول ہسپتال پہنچایا گیا جہاں پر وہ زخموں کی تاب نہ لاتے ہوئے چل بسا پولیس نے نامعلوم افراد کے خلاف مقدمہ درج کرکے تحقیقات شروع کردی
Friday, November 15, 2013
Afghanistan’s Band-e Amir National Park Hires First Female Park Rangers
Afghanistan’s first-ever women park rangers at Band-e Amir National Park. Photograph by Naseem Sultani/Wildlife Conservation Society.
Posted by Sonia Harmon of National Geographic on November 14, 2013
Did you know that women weren’t allowed to be park rangers in the United Statesuntil 1969? And it wasn’t until 1978 when women in the National Park Service were allowed to wear a service badge or the “male” uniform. Employment opportunities for women in America have come a long way since then, and now a national park in Afghanistan is taking steps to do the same. Band-e Amir National Park recently hired four women—Sediqa, Nikbakht, Fatima and Kubra, all of whom were formerly housewives—to become their first female park rangers. They joined a staff of 23 rangers at the park, which was established in 2009 and is known for its beautiful blue lakes and rare wildlife.... Continue Reading...
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