Pakistan government fails to protect Hazara community

Hazaras are the third-largest ethnic bloc in Afghanistan and a significant Shia minority in neighbouring Pakistan. Hazaras live in large numbers in Quetta, the capital of Pakistan's Balochistan province.

Balochistan is Pakistan's largest and poorest district rife with sectarian violence. Their population here---- is somewhere between 650,000 to 900,000. But this figure gets dwarfed when compared with the Sunni Muslim population in Pakistan.

Which is why Hazaras are one of the most oppressed minority groups in Pakistan. The discrimination dates back decades. The stories of massacres are countless. And the persecution continues to this day.

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On the 3rd of January 11 members of the Hazara community, 11 innocent coal miners were abducted. They were held at gunpoinT, blindfolded, hands tied behind their backs and taken to a nearby mountain.

They were shot at, their throats slit,

Who carried out this slaughter? Terrorists from the Pakistan faction of the Islamic State. This is the first major attack on the Hazara community after almost a year of lull.

11 innocent coal miners killed for no reason except their belief! Their bodies have been wrapped in shrouds. But they haven't been buried yet.

Their families say the funeral won't be held until the Pakistan govt finds the killers. The killings have become a watershed for the Hazara community.

Hundreds of them have blocked a key highway on the outskirts of Quetta to demand justice. They say they won't give up until their demands are met. They want the prime minister of Pakistan himself to come to Quetta.

Has the Pak PM responded to these demands?

Yes and no.

"I share your pain & have come to you before also to stand with you in your time of suffering. I will come again very soon to offer prayers and condole with all the families personally. I will never betray my people's trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace," tweeted Imran Khan.

Now here's the thing. There are women and children protesting in 8 degrees Celsius in Quetta. They are refusing to bury their loved ones. This is not manufactured victimhood. This is the result of decades of persecution of the Hazara community.

A self-righteous tweet by Imran khan won't do away with the countless injustices & attacks.

In 2001, eight Hazara Muslims were killed in a vehicle ambush.

In 2003, forty-seven Hazara Muslim worshippers were killed in an attack on one of their mosques in Quetta.

In 2004, forty-two were killed in an attack on a Hazara religious procession.

In 2010, eight of them were killed in an attack on a hospital in Quetta

In 2011, eight Hazara Muslims mostly children were killed in a gun attack at a park.

In 2012, seven Hazaras mostly women were killed in an attack on a van they were travelling in.

In 2013, fifty two 52 Hazara Muslims were killed in a series of targeted bombings across Quetta.

And then in 2019, twenty Hazara Muslims were killed in targeted bombings at a Quetta market.

'offering prayers' and 'condoling personally' with the families won't help. Imran khan's govt has failed in protecting the Hazaras much like his predecessors.