Increasing sectarian killings in Quetta city of Pakistan

Unidentified armed men killed nine members of the ethnic Hazara community and injured six others in Quetta, the capital of the volatile Pakistani Balochistan province, on Thursday morning.

Police said that the armed terrorist opened fire at a bus in Hazara Ganji area of the city and managed to escape unhurt from the spot.

The Quetta based Hazara Shia community whose members stand out on account of their specific Central Asian face features has come under increased attacks by sectarian extremist groups such as the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi (LJ).

Estimates provided by Tahir Hussain Khan, president of the Balochistan chapter of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan(HRCP), earlier this month show that the violence has driven as many as 200,000 Hazaras to relocate to other major cities of Pakistan or move abroad.

The Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has announced shutter down in Quetta on Friday (tomorrow) to mourn the killings of the nine people.

In a statement issued by the HDP, the party lashed out at the provincial government and law enforcement agencies over their failure to protect Hazaras Shias in the city.

"Under a pre-planned conspiracy, our people are being targeted,” the statement said.

The Majlis-i-Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) has also announced three days of mourning over today’s killings.

It has moreover criticised the government and law enforcement agencies for their failure to protect citizens.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took notice of today’s incident and directed the interior secretary to mobilise security agencies and ensure the arrests of those responsible.

The premier ordered that swift and stern action is taken to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The prime minister moreover directed the interior secretary to file an official report following a thorough investigation of the incident.

Later on, at least two persons were killed and many other injured in a suicide attack on a gathering of Jamiat e Ulmaye Islam led by Maulana Fazl ur Rehman in Quetta on Thursday’s evening.