Why Hazaras are being Killed in Pakistan?

by Muhammad Younas|outlookafghanistan

Once again Lashkar-e-Janghvi (LeJ) terrorists have managed to kill 28 Hazara pilgrims including women and children in Mastung district, some 50km Southwest of Quetta City, Pakistan and the provincial government once again has failed to protect the lives of its citizens.

With respect to Hazara killings, the terrorists always get right information to murder Hazaras en masse outside of their vicinity. If they can’t find Hazaras outside of their surrounding areas, they easily manage to penetrate into Hazara neighbourhood by crossing heavily guarded security check posts to target Hazaras.

So far, over 100 Hazara Shias have brutally been murdered only in Mastung area but not a single terrorist involved in the killings of Hazaras has been convicted. Only this year 33 Hazaras have so far been killed but not a single person has been captured. Last year, 281 Hazaras were massacred but not a single person was brought to book. Till to date, 1300 plus Hazaras have so far been killed and more than 3500 injured since 1999 but not a single person has been brought to justice.
LeJ and Jaish-e-Islam claim the killings of Hazaras publicly on the print and electronic media. In Balochistan, local media persons are fully aware of Hazaras killers but the government and the security agencies unfortunately don’t know who they are to get hold of them? They don’t know where do they live? What telephone number they use? And where do they make bombs?

Should we really believe what-so-ever the government and the security agencies say—in terms of the security failure? Do they really not have any information about the killers? Should we really believe that the terrorists are more capable than the writ of the government? No, of course not. It’s not as simple as it is portrayed. Everybody knows about the response of the security agencies to alleged Baloch nationalists. As we all know, thousands of Baloch nationals are reported missing and hundreds of them have already been reported allegedly killed brutally without being presented in the court.

Are the religious terrorists more powerful than the security forces? No, they are not. Is government scared of them? No, it’s not. Are they not aware of the religious terrorists’ hideouts? I’m sure, they know. Is there any issue with the capability of the government and law enforcement agencies in dealing with the religious terrorists? No, of course not.

Then what hold the government and law enforcement agencies back to take action against them? It is the “will”. Do they have “will” to go after the terrorists? No, they don’t have. If not, then the question arises why the “will” doesn’t allow the higher authorities to bring the religious terrorists to justice? How many Hazara dead bodies does the higher authority want? Over 1300 Hazaras have already been killed. What does the elite class want Hazaras to do in Quetta City? Or what message the big boss wants to convey to the international community through Hazara dead bodies?
These are the questions need to be analyzed well to get the right answer. Human Rights Watch report 2014 (HRW)says that the militant groups, including the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and some other banned outfits, are operating with “virtual impunity” in Pakistan as the country’s civilian and military institutions are either “unable” or “unwilling” to prevent terrorist attacks.
With regard to the ability of the government and military institutions, we have already discussed it and there’s no need to further discuss, however, the “unwilling” needs to be analyzed well to understand ongoing genocide of Hazaras in Pakistan.

If we take a look of past couple of days’ terrorist activities in Pakistan, we will easily come to know about the pressure on the federal government against Taliban. At least 20 soldiers were killed last Sunday by Taliban while in retaliation, Pakistani military aircraft bombed Taliban hideout in northern areas of Pakistan killing dozens.
Some conspiracy theorists believe that the government feels immense pressure from the military to take action against Taliban and Hazara killings actually means to develop pressure on the government by engaging the civil society to take action against Taliban. But the question arises, which Taliban? What Taliban I’m talking about—the good ones or the bad ones? Which ones the governments want to take action against? And which one is involved in the killing Hazaras? Too difficult by Pakistani government to separate the bad Taliban from the good ones.

Hazaras as usual have started sit-in protest with their dead bodies on Alamdar Road Quetta to demand action against the religious militant groups especially LeJ and Jaish-e-Islam, which will later on be supported by media, political parties and the civil society.
I strongly favour military action against the religious militant groups particularly LeJ and Jaish-e-Islam affiliated with Taliban and Al-Quaida but “why my community has been picked for the mass lobbying?”

And will the government ever launch military actions against the good religious militants groups especially LeJ, Jaish-e-Islam affiliated with pro-Pakistan Taliban? No, never. Then, why will the government show “unwilling” ? Because they are “the national assets”.  Like past, the government may carry out some kind of clichéd military actions against them but will soon be stopped when the situation calms down.