Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf has taken serious notice of the killings of Hazara Shias in Quetta, almost two days after twin bombings ripped through the Hazara-dominated Alamdar Road of the city. The PM landed in Quetta today.
Meanwhile, the routine condemnations, assurances, orders and vows continued on Saturday as the Hazara community braved sub-zero temperature in Quetta overnight to continue with their protest against the minority community’s persisted targeting. The Shias have refused to bury the dead until Quetta is handed over to the military and the chief justice of Pakistan takes suo motu notice of the persecution of the minority Muslim sect.
Women, children and elderly men have been sitting in the cold on Alamdar Road in tears, wailing and crying out to someone to take note of the barbarism directed at them, but no concrete measures were seen until late at night except frantic efforts by Balochistan Governor Zulfiqar Magsi and Religious Affairs Minister Khurshid Shah to convince the protesters to end their sit-in demonstration.
But Hazaras have rejected the condolences and assurances.
Talking to reporters after the talks, Shah said an important meeting had been convened in Karachi on Sunday (today) to discuss the law and order in Balochistan. Shah said he had sought a day to meet the demands of protesters.
“We will continue our sit-in until Quetta is handed over to the army,” Syed Dawood Agha, chief of Balochistan Shia Conference, said, adding that the provincial government and police had completely failed to provide security to them.
“We have requested them to bury the dead but they are not listening,” Quetta Capital City Police Officer Zubair Mehmood said. He said the government had given an assurance to the families and relatives of victims that the perpetrators would be brought to book.
Earlier, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari ordered PPP Balochistan President Mir Sadiq Umrani to visit Alamdar Road to convey his condolences and urge the protesting Hazaras to end their sit-in. However, Umrani’s efforts to cajole the protesters also failed.
Thousands of people staged protests in other cities of the country also to demand justice for the Hazara Shias.
Protests were staged in almost all cities and towns, including Lahore, Islamabad, Hyderabad, Sukkur, Khairpur and Karachi, where protesters blocked the National Highway and Shahrah-e-Faisal for hours.
On the other hand, the prime minister ordered the Frontier Corps to extend assistance to the civil administration in the maintenance of law and order, giving it all powers of police. He issued the directives after a meeting with Interior Minister Rehman Malik.
Ashraf announced Rs 1 million each for the dead and Rs 100,000 for those injured in Thursday’s bombings, a move unlikely to win over mourners.
The PM also directed the provincial and federal law enforcement agencies to work in coordination under the provincial government. He also asked Balochistan Chief Minister Aslam Raisani to return from Dubai immediately. The CM has failed to issue a single statement condemning the attacks despite the passage of two days, something which has further strengthened the protesting Shias’ resolve that the current political dispensation is not competent enough to protect them and the army must take charge of the situation.
Meanwhile Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM) would observe a nationwide ‘day of mourning’ today over the martyrdom of more than one hundred innocent people in Swat/Quetta bombings. In a statement, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain appealed to the masses to show solidarity to the Shittes living in Pakistan. He also urged the traders to not undertake commercial activities. He said that “I urge all the people to keep calm and remain peaceful”. He said that all the legitimate demands of the mourners including handing over the city to Army should be accepted without further delay.