Pakistan's Shia Genocide !!

[Singh]

This is a heart rending read
==

Being Shia in Pakistan: A personal experience
​

Pakistan is home to a large Shia community, second only to Iran but if you are born in the community, you sure have landed in the wrong place. I was born Shia in Pakistan in 1984 and a year later, the state decided to turn the informal violence against the Shia – ever present courtesy the exclusivist national ideology which is inherently anti-Shia - into an official slow genocide.

My earliest memories of you-don't-belong-here feeling are from early school days in a small semi-urban town near Lahore. Our house was located on this small street lined up by half a dozen Shia houses – all my extended family. Every morning when I left home with my daada to go to school, the wall opposite our door had a new wall chalking reading "Kaafir Kaafir Shia Kaafir". I recall asking my daada what does it mean and he replied saying "Kush naee". I never bothered erasing it, nor did any of my siblings or my cousins. Years passed, I changed school and a tonga replaced my daada but these wall chalking never stopped. Now that the tonga moved through different streets before taking me school, I noticed this was everywhere Shia lived in town. My question was still unanswered and this time around, I asked my chaacha. Again, he smiled and said "Kuch nahee" and then left without saying anything more. Sometime later he returned with a painter, then holding my finger took me to the courtyard and had him paint 'Ya Ali Madad' in massive black font on the façade of our house facing street. I could not understand why did he do that.

I understood a different meaning of the word 'sharing' at school. I can recall those suffocating lunch breaks at school when we got together under the shadow of a tree in school grounds to 'share' lunch. I was welcomed to have a piece from other's lunch but nobody ate mine. This happened on a regular basis and I finally decided to have my lunch alone, not leaving the classroom during the break. I found it difficult to comprehend to start with but later realised what it meant when a newcomer joined our class. Her name was Fatima, she joined after the Summer breaks and remained allusive during the breaks. One day when I was stuffing myself with my lunch, she walked towards me, leaned over my desk and asked, 'Aap Shia ho?' She mentioned my name to her father, because of my good results in class probably, and from my name he deciphered my sect. We shared our lunch that day and it was then I realised why nobody was interested in my lunch.

Most kids and youth find exam days to be quite challenging but the most challenging and tough part of the year for me was Muharram. It was as if all my classmates changed into different people – the same class fellows who we had family terms with, spent half the day with me, learnt and played with me; with the start of Muharram thought as if I have come from another planet. I was the subject of curiosity, snooping and ridicule. Year after year I was asked the same questions all over again as if they suffer from a memory loss. The most popular questions were

(i) What do you Shia do on Sham-e-Ghareeban after turning the lights off?
(ii) Is it true that on Sham-e-Ghareeban you can choose any girl you like from the room?
(iii) Is it true that you eat feces from Zuljaneh after Ashura as Tabaruk?
(iv) How many chapters do you have in Quran?
(v) Do you believe that Ali was destined to be Prophet but Gabriel made a mistake?

I changed schools, cities and province but these questions didn't stop coming. I moved to Pakhtunkhwa for a few years during school and was welcomed warmly. I was a new comer, a Punjabi and so naturally subject of curiosity. Nobody knew about my Shia identity and all worked well. Then, the time of the year came again. My class mates gathered during the lunch break and got busy in their usual discussions with inquisitiveness around Shia, Azadari, Muharram and the rituals associated. "Yaar inkay to to mazzay hain, jo dil kia select kar lain gay dasveen ko" said one of them, while the other replied, "main to mohallay ki Shia majlisson me jata hoon, bara mahool hota hay". I broke my silence refuting all of that and one of them replied "tume kya pata, tum Shia ho?". I kept silent and a deafening silence followed. None said anything, none felt embarrassed or gutted but I put myself in for trouble. The questions kept coming as a routine. I realised that quite normal people consider Shia as a cult who practice mass orgies, incest sex, open relationships and are conspirators against Islam and traitors to Pakistan.

As I settled in the town which was new home to me, I was invited by one of my friends to spend a weekend with him. His mother welcomed me on gate and asked, "Beta aapka naam kya hay?". My friend responded before I could, adding that I am a Shia. "Asli Syed to Sunni hotay hain, chalo khair" she said on my face and I kept wondering what that was supposed to mean.

I developed friendships in the town which lead to family friends. I had this close friend of mine with whom I studied and played who lived close to our place. We frequently visited each other. He never ate at my place, whether it was meals or snacks no matter what time of the day it was, even when he stayed for longer hours to prepare for exams. He would always make an excuse or say it on my face that he was going home to have his meal and will come back. Despite all my personal experiences, I never thought this was again because of who I was. Then, one day when he didn't leave at lunch time and had lunch with me, her mother called and after getting to know that he had his lunch with me, she responded saying "Kaha bhi thaa nahee khana udhar" and put the phone down. I think she was a victim of this widespread misconception that the Shia spit in their food before giving to anyone else. This is so widespread that there is a reference in Shoaib Mansoor's Bol on this when Shia Irfan Khosat's wife sends Nayaaz ki Kheer to her Sunni neighbours.

During my late teens, when more youth was turning 'religious' and Tableeghis were everywhere, I occasionally prayed in the Sunni mosque opposite the university where I studied. I never thought I was doing something wrong or going to a place where I should not. On the contrary, I asked my fellows a few times to go to a Shia mosque nearby and pray there together but none agreed. One can always find Shia men praying in Sunni mosques but the opposite hardly happens. As a routine I had my Iftaar with my Sunni fellows but none, I repeat NONE in my life so far had the courtesy to wait for me another 10 minutes. I always thought that people fast the full day, get irritated if someone eats in their presence, vehemently support the Ehtaram-e-Ramzan ordinance which bans eating in public during Ramzan; but they do not have the basic courtesy to wait just 10 minutes for a friend? Basically, you expect this respect for the full day from sick and a stranger who probably doesn't even believe in this religious practice but when it comes to you, you cant even do 10 minutes, that too for a close friend – really?

The suspicion and curiosity around Shia identity is so embedded into Pakistani culture that it sometimes boggles one's mind. As an example: Living in the UK, I have refused to celebrate Eid with Saudi Arabia believing Allah has not deprived UK of a moon yet and have relied on Royal Observatory's moon sightings. The moment I told my Sunni friends and family, the first question I was asked was, "Hmmm.. When are the Shia celebrating their Eid?" I clarified several times that this has nothing to do with my Shia identity but a pure question of logic – I live in the UK and I will celebrate Eid when we sight moon in the UK. But my arguments where ignored completely and was told that we should all celebrate together – of course when Saudi Arabia decides for us.

This is my personal experience being raised in Pakistan but I am sure most, if not all, Shia go through this. I haven't been a practicing Muslim most part of my life but during Muharram I find myself compelled to go to the Azadari Jaloos. Living away from family and my hometown, it was not Eid when I missed home most – it was the Ashura. Azadari gives the Shia of Pakistan a chance to reinforce their identity, to live their identity. There is a reason many non religious, secular, agnostic or sceptic Pakistanis which Shia background are a part of Azadari rituals. Like my chaacha, every year this is my answer to "What is Kaafir Kaafir Shia Kaafir". Growing up Shia in Pakistan has made me find the answer to the question I asked him as a kid.

Being Shia in Pakistan: A personal experience – Ale Natiq  | LUBP

 

[Singh]

Would Jinnah, a Shia, also have to leave the country he founded?​

August 15 marked the completion of 65 years since our country came into existence. Yes, it was August 15 and not August 14, however, we officially celebrate our independence day on the 14th.

The Pakistan we see today is not the Pakistan envisaged by the founders of this country. There were a lot of mishaps surrounding the birth of this country as it faced a pre-mature labour. Short-sightedness on the part of leaders of the Pakistan Movement coupled with the intrigue that arose by the parting Britishers resulted in a country that was in shambles as soon as it came into existence.

The very first grave challenge faced by Pakistan was the massive bloodshed that occurred on both sides of the border. Starting from the massacres of non-Muslims in Northern Punjab and Bengal in March 1947, till the brutal slaughter of Muslim refugees in the last months of 1947, sectarian violence affected the whole subcontinent.

Faiz Ahmed Faiz best summed up partition in the following words:

Ye daagh daagh ujaala,
Ye shab-gazeeda seher,
Wo intezar tha jis ka,
Ye wo seher to nahi.

Such a tarnished beginning and shadow infested dusk; this is not what we were waiting for.

Mr Jinnah, a twelver Shia himself, would be considered a minority today, in the state that he founded.

At the time of partition, 25% of the population was non-Muslim. This has reduced to a mere 2% since then. This relative decrease in number is chiefly due to the creation of Bangladesh but also due to mass exodus of non-Muslims who had to spend lives as second-rate citizens in their own country.

Arpit Parashar wrote in his article entitled 'Half a country, half a life' in Ink Magazine:

"Despite border tensions, migration, chiefly into India, has been a constant since partition. Hindus and Muslims from East Pakistan—then Bangladesh—fled to India to escape the atrocities at home. Rough government estimates suggest that 1o lakh Hindus came in after Partition, another 10 lakh in the 1950s, around 50 lakh in the 1960s. Around 15 lakh of the one crore who came to India in 1970-1971 stayed on. Since then, poverty and sectarian strife at home has led to the migration of about 50 lakh Bangladeshi Muslims to India since 1971."

He also mentioned that,

"The Constitution of Pakistan upholds Islam as the state religion and allows other religions to co-exist but the ground realities are different. Hindus are termed kafir and their love for their home country is questioned at every level. The Chief Justice of the Lahore High Court Khwaja Muhammad Sharif is reported to have commented earlier this year that the Hindus were responsible for terrorism in Pakistan."

I should point out that in Pakistan, not only non-Muslims, but also those Muslims who do not conform to the majority's interpretation of Islam are deemed as minorities.

In the infamous Munir Report of 1954, Justice Munir noted that none of the learned Islamic scholars representing their respective sects came to agree upon a single, universal definition of who was a Muslim (and who was not). This results in a situation where if we are Muslim by the standard of one sect's definition, we are considered kafir by the rest of the definitions.

The constant insecurity, disdain and persecution faced by our fellow non-Muslim Pakistanis for the last 65 years is contrary to the teachings of our religion and every ethical principle there is. EvenJogindar Nath Mandal, Pakistan's first law minister chosen by Mr Jinnah himself, had to leave the country in 1950 as a protest against maltreatment of Hindus in East Pakistan.

At the heart of this hatred of others lies the sense of self-righteousness that we have been raised on, and a hefty mixture of cognitive dissonance (difference in what we are told/taught and what the reality is). There exists cultural narcissism; the idea that we are the best nation ever but we have been suppressed by mythical enemies.

The Islamic revivalists of today, while condemning non-Muslims for their exploits against Muslims, forget that non-Muslims enjoyed comfortable lives under Muslim rulers from the time of the reign of Righteous Caliphs till the fall of the Ottoman empire.

I agree in principle with my hyper-nationalist brothers when they denounce the atrocities being committed in Kashmir, Palestine and Burma. I just wish they would speak a single word against Shia genocide, Baloch missing persons, target killing of Hazaras or events like Gojra, which occur in their own backyard.

Raising a voice about minorities is considered a 'liberal elite' hobby but it's not the liberal elite who lynch innocent Christians, abductHindu girls or accuse minors of committing blasphemy.

Detractors point out that highlighting minority rights downplays 'real' issues like the power crisis, unemployment, stagflation, education and health disasters. I partially agree with this criticism, but to quote Saroop Ijaz,

"No issue is more real than murder or witch-hunt. All loss of innocent life is to be condoled, yet not all funerals require the same mourning or outrage."

It must be mentioned that the so-called 'real issues' have created a frustration that has frequently been outpoured at the cost of minorities.

Someone tweeted the other day:

When Mr Jinnah said, "You are free to go to your temples, you are free to go to your churches", he should've added, "at your own risk".

The space for minorities, and people, who speak up about minority rights is closing down at an alarming pace. For the Christians and Hindus who couldn't afford going to a new country in 1947, or the Shias and Ahmadis who immigrated to a new land, the road ahead is a bleak one. This is a dangerous situation because the thirst for blood of minorities will eventually lead to infighting and civil war.

Excommunicating sects one by one will end in disaster. Cyril Almeida writes:

"Pakistan's dirty little secret isn't its treatment of non-Muslims, Shias or other sundry groups who find themselves in the cross-hairs of the rabid and the religious. Pakistan's dirty little secret is that everyone is a minority."

Would Jinnah, a Shia, also have to leave the country he founded? – The Express Tribune Blog

 

[Singh]

Quetta: Extremists open fire on the Hazar Ganji Vegetable market, 5 Shiites killed


According to our correspondent, extremists belonging to Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (ASWJ) opened fire on Hazar Ganji's Vegetable Market killing at least 5 Shiites.

Furthermore the incident occurred when unknown gunmen on bikes opened fire on a car coming our from the vegetable market, injuring all 5 passengers. All the 5 later died of their wounds. The martyrs have been identified as Nouroz Ali s/o Mohammed Raza, Ali Baba s/o Hasnain Ali, Jawwad s/o Dost Mohammed, Salman s/o Abdul Waheed and Syed Yousif s/o Syed Anwar.

It is worth mentioning that in Quetta a shiite session judge, Zulfiqar Naqvi, was shot dead day before yesterday alongside his driver and 2 guards.

Pakistani Generals and Colonels are supervising the banned extremists. The place where martyr Naqvi was shot is walking distance from a Secret Agency's Office. This silence of the government and media on the injustice is worrying.

 

[Singh]

 

[Singh]

Carnage of Shia Muslims in Pakistan
​

With thousands of Shia Muslims killed over the past few years in Pakistan and over 400 murdered in recent months, the killings have practically amounted to genocide, raising more-than-sectarian alarm bells not only in Pakistan but also across the Muslim world.
In fact, there has been a marked escalation in mass murders and target killings of the Shia minority in Pakistan, increasing global fear and consternation over the brutal bloodbath. According to World Minority Rights Report (2011), Pakistan ranks as the 6th worst country in terms of violence against and persecution of the Shia Muslims and minorities.

That the Shia mass murders have continued over the years with no legal and judiciary source or law enforcement agencies having sought to put an end to these brutalities indicates that these acts are but to be considered as part of a systematic and organized plot prodigiously funded and ingeniously engineered by internal and external forces with the express intention of making the pillars of Pakistani society fall to smithereens, shattering the very fabric of the Shia community and distorting the image of Pakistan and depicting it as a religiously intolerant nation.

The targets which were basically focused on any ordinary person with Shia belief has now come to include those Shia Muslims who belong to the educated and elite class of the Pakistani society.

At least four people have been shot down in Karachi, the largest city of Pakistan since Tuesday morning. A recent incident occurred at Kashmir Road near Jail Chowrangi where Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Ali Mohsin, 42, was shot three times in the head by assassins. Two more people were also shot dead in Pirabad area of the city. In another assassination, Shia Doctor Syed Naimatullah s/o Syed
Sarwar was killed in Quetta in broad daylight at his clinic at Kirni Road.

Doctor Syed Naimatullah is the 419th victim of targeted killings since January 2012.

In another instance of elite killings, unidentified gunmen shot dead a Shia Muslim judge Zulfiqar Naqvi along with his driver and police bodyguard on August 30 in Quetta, southwestern Pakistan.

Apart from the target killings, other cases of Shia killings have been committed in the most grisly forms. A gruesome video recently circulated online by the Wahhabi Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) shows the beheading of two Shia Muslims.

An offshoot of al-Qaeda, the terrorist group first posted the video titled "Revenge" on August 23 on the Wahhabi terrorist Seminary Jamia Hafsa Urdu forum and then distributed it on other Wahhabi-Nasabi jihadist forums.

Four masked men accompany the victims Haseeb Zaidi and Maulana Nooruddin with their hands tied behind their backs and decapitate them in cold blood. The extensively networked terrorist group is widely believed to be behind the Shia killings in the country.
The gruesome nature of the murders helps disclose the identity of the perpetrators. The act of beheading victims is typically characteristic of Taliban extremists who also carry out similar atrocities against Shia Muslims in Afghanistan.

The history of violence against the Shia community in Pakistan goes back to the time of military dictator Zia ul-Haq who made it a state policy to fund and arm Wahhabi groups in the 1980s. It was during those years when he technically institutionalized violence by unleashing Sipah-e Sahaba fundamentalists on Shia-populated regions, ushering in a new age of violence and mayhem.

In 1988, Zia ul-Haq dispatched a huge army of 80,000 extremists to Shia-populated Gilgit region to annihilate the Shias. Adjacent villages such as Jalalabad, Bonji, Darot, Jaglot, Pari, and Manawar were razed to the ground and over 700 Shia Muslims were massacred.

According to a Herald report "In May 1988, low-intensity political rivalry and sectarian tension ignited into full-scale carnage as thousands of armed tribesmen from outside Gilgit district invaded Gilgit along the Karakoram Highway. Nobody stopped them. They destroyed crops and houses, lynched and burnt people to death in the villages around Gilgit town. The number of dead and injured was put in the hundreds. But numbers alone tell nothing of the savagery of the invading hordes and the chilling impact it has left on these peaceful valleys."

Simultaneously, Zia ul-Haq tasked Pakistan intelligence agency ISI with monitoring the activities of Shia organizations all over the country lest the Shia Muslims would be empowered in the wake of the advent of the Iranian Revolution in 1979.
In order to avoid international blame for stoking sectarian violence in the country, Zia al-Haq decided to legitimize the anti-Shia activities of Wahhabi fundamentalists such as Sipah-e Sahaba to carry out this task for the government. Privy to the carnage of the Shia Muslims at the hands of the Wahhabi fundamentalists, the ISI refrained from stopping the genocide of the Shias. Worst of all, they even facilitated and financed the massacre on the secret orders of Zia ul-Haq.

What is now happening to the Shia Muslims in Pakistani regions such as Gilgit, Baltistan, Parachinar, Kurram agency, Quetta and other areas is indeed the continued legacy of violence initiated by Zia ul-Haq and financed by Saudi Wahhabis in an effort to limit the influence of the Shia Muslims in the country.


Carnage of Shia Muslims in Pakistan  | LUBP

 

[Ray]

Killing Shias is just another day's job done in Pakistan and other Islamic countries.

Most Sunnis don't take them to be Muslims in any case!

Shia Are Kafirs Here Are The Proofs
Shia are kafirs here is the proof

Totally depraved!

Imagine stating that the Anglican Christians are not Christians!

 

[Singh]

According to our correspondent, a famous Shiite Mukhtar Azmi was shot dead alongside his son, Baqar, in Karachi today.

The incident occurred when the car that the martyrs were travelling in was fired on by members of the banned political organization Sipah-e-Sahaba near Karachi's 'Purani' Sabzi Mandi. Azmi, his son and his grandson were all injured and shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. Baqar, 45 and Mukhtar Azmi, 75, succumbed to their wounds soon after but Azmi's grandson, Mohammed Ali, is under treatment at the Aga Khan Hospital. Mukhtar Azmi's body is at the Abbasi Shaheed hospital whereas his son, Baqar's body is at the Liaqat National Hospital.

Karachi: Sipah-e-Sahaba extremists open fire, father and son killed – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Pakistan: Sectarian Killings Of Minority Shias Escalating​

Human rights activists are pleading with the Pakistani government to take steps to end the killings of minority Shia Muslims in the Sunni-dominated country following a wave of murders by extremist groups.




"Deadly attacks on Shia communities across Pakistan are escalating," said Brad Adams, the Asia director for New York-based Human Rights Watch.

"The [Pakistani] government's persistent failure to apprehend attackers or prosecute"¦ suggests that it is indifferent to this carnage."

The carnage against Shias has surged in recent years – at least 320 people have been killed in sectarian violence in Pakistan thus far this year alone, with one-third of the murders taking place in Balochistan province, where the Hazara ethnic group is concentrated.

On the first day of September in two different attacks, a total of eight Hazara were shot to death by gunmen in the city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan. In the prior month, at least 26 Shia were murdered in the country, including a particularly horrific incident in the Northwest Frontier province in which gunmen forces bus passengers to provide identification, leading to the immediate execution of 22 Shias. The Pakistani Taliban took responsibility for that particular atrocity.

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Aside from the Taliban, HRW attributed many other targeted killings of Shias to the outlawed Lashkar-e Jhangvi Sunni militant group "which have operated with widespread impunity across Pakistan while law enforcement officials have effectively turned a blind eye on attacks against Shia communities."

HRW noted, however, that a small measure of progress may have occurred with the August 31 arrest of Malik Ishaq, the leader of Lashkar-e Jhangvi, on charges of inciting violence against Shias.

"The arrest of Malik Ishaq, who has been implicated in dozens of killings, is an important test for Pakistan's criminal justice system," Adams said. "Sectarian violence won't end until those responsible are brought to trial and justice."

However, given how Ishaq has been repeatedly arrested and subsequently released by authorities over the years, there are suspicions that the Sunni militants are in collusion with government intelligence networks or possibly with the police and military officials.

"Pakistan's government cannot play the role of unconcerned bystander as the Shia across Pakistan are slaughtered," Adams added.

"Pakistan's political leaders, law enforcement agencies, judiciary, and military need to take this as seriously as they take other security threats to the state."

Overall, thousands of people have died in sectarian violence in Pakistan over the past two decades. However, Sunnis enjoy a distinct advantage given that they represent about 70 percent of the population.

Pakistan: Sectarian Killings Of Minority Shias Escalating - International Business Times

 

[Singh]

More than 320 Shias killed in Pakistan this year in wave of sectarian attacks​

PAKISTAN'S government must do more to protect its minority Shia population, according to human rights campaigners, in a year which has already seen more than 320 killed in a wave of targeted attacks.



Human Rights Watch accuses security forces of at best turning a blind eye to sectarian atrocities carried out by Sunni militant groups – and at worst of viewing the extremists as allies.

"Deadly attacks on Shia communities across Pakistan are escalating," said Brad Adams, Asia director of the watchdog. "The government's persistent failure to apprehend attackers or prosecute the extremist groups organizing the attacks suggests that it is indifferent to this carnage."

The plight of Pakistan's minorities is already in the global spotlight. Rimsha Masih, a Christian girl, has been detained for three weeks after being accused of blasphemy in a case that has attracted international condemnation.

The restive region of Baluchistan has been badly affected by sectarian violence, with more than 100 members of the Shia Hazara community being killed in 2012.

In the most recent violence, gunmen shot dead eight Hazara in two attacks at the start of the month in Quetta, the provincial capital.

It followed a chilling incident two weeks earlier when gunmen ambushed four buses. They made the travellers disembark before calmly inspecting identity cards and executing 22 people they believed to be Shia.

That attack was later claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, an al-Qaeda linked umbrella grouping of extremist movements.

At the end of last month, police in Lahore detained Malik Ishaq, the head of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a group accused of dozens of sectarian attacks. He was released from detention last year after several cases against him apparently collapsed.

Mr Adams said the arrest was an important development.

"The arrest of Malik Ishaq, who has been implicated in dozens of killings, is an important test for Pakistan's criminal justice system," he said. "Sectarian violence won't end until those responsible are brought to trial and justice."

He added that security should be tightened in Shia areas, particularly in Baluchistan, and that the government needed to end the perception that attacks would not be investigated.


More than 320 Shias killed in Pakistan this year in wave of sectarian attacks — www.telegraph.co.uk — Readability

 

[Virendra]

More than 320 Shias killed in Pakistan this year in wave of sectarian attacks

And the year is not yet over !!

That attack was later claimed by the Pakistan Taliban, an al-Qaeda linked umbrella grouping of extremist movements.

If you remember TTP had beheaded many Pakistani soldiers lately.
In one of the live leak videos, they displayed and read out the Id cards. Most were of Baloch Regiment.
This is so royally messed up. Everyone is killing everyone else. :shocked:

 

[Singh]

Karachi: Another Shiite killed, 6 killed in last 24 hours​

According to our correspondent, another Shiite, Zahid Hussain Zaidi, was shot dead in Karachi, making him the 6th Shiite to be killed in the last 24 hours at the hands of Sipah-e-Sahaba extremists.

Furthermore, the Shiite was targeted in Golimar Jaffaria near Rizvia where he lived. Syed Zahid Hussain Zaidi was repeatedly shot and therefore died on the spot. The martyr's body has been moved to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital.

This martyr was the 6th Shiite to be killed in the past 24 hours. 4 of the 6 where killed in Karachi and 1 in Quetta.

Karachi: Another Shiite killed, 6 killed in last 24 hours – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Quetta: Shiite Mohammad Mohsin shot dead by extremists

According to our correspondent, a Shiite named Mohammad Mohsin was shot dead by extremist terrorists on Saryab Road, Quetta.

The terrorists of Sipah-e-Sahaba (Ahle Sunnat wal Jamat) opened fire on the Shiite, killing him on the spot. Mohammad Mohsin was the Deputy Director of the Geo Local Survey. The martyr's body has been shifted to the Civil Hospital. The terrorists managed to escape after the attack.

All over Pakistan, especially in Quetta, unarmed, innocent Shiites are being targeted on daily basis.

The Free democratic government is helpless in protecting the Shiites. The Law Enforcement is protecting the terrorists instead of the Shiites and the Chief Justice seems blind to the murders.

Quetta: Shiite Mohammad Mohsin shot dead by extremists – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Karachi: Extremists kill 3 Shiites injure 1

According to our correspondent 3 Shiites have been killed and 1 injured in an attack by Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists. The bodies of the martyrs have been shifted to the Civil Hospital.

Furthermore, the terrorists opened fire on a car near Kharadar's Pan Mandi, killing 50 year old Mohammad Raza s/o Ali and his 2 sons Kumail Raza, 35 and Abbas Raza, 25. The injured Shiite has been identified as 35 year old Ali Raza s/o Barkat Ali.

The martyrs and the injured have been shifted to the Civil Hospital where a large crowd of Shiites is staring to gather. The bodies of the martyrs are being moved to the Fatmiyah Ghusul Khana at Khurasan Imambargah. There is extreme anger amongst the Shiites and the government and law enforcement are being criticized.
The increasing terrorism of Sipah-e-Sahaba is a question for the law enforcement. The government must realize that freedom for extremists and terrorists in the name of democracy will not be tolerated.

At the same time Shiites have gathered to protest the arrest of their innocent brothers at Khurasan Imambargah. This is an unusual country where the families of those who have been murdered get arrested and the murderers are set free.

Karachi: Extremists kill 3 Shiites injure 1 – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Karachi: Terrosists open fire, Shiite killed

According to our correspondent, a Shiite named Zaheer Abbas was killed when extremists of the outlawed Sipah-e-Sahaba opened fire on him in Karachi's Gulburg.

Furthermore the 28 year old was targeted at Gulburg's Diamond Bakery and the attackers managed to escape, as usual.

Zaheer Abbas s/o Nadir Abbas was rushed to a hospital where the doctors verified he had suffered from 3 gunshot wounds to his head. The martyr was then moved to the Ancholi Imambargah Shohadae Karbala.

It is worth mentioning that a Shiite father and his 2 sons were shot dead last night at Khurasan, Karachi. Their funeral had not yet been held and the terrorists have killed another Shiite.

The steps being taken by police and rangers on the Shiite genocide are insufficient. Molana Mirza Yousif mentioned in yesterday's press conference that some police and rangers are actually working against Shiites.

Karachi: Terrosists open fire, Shiite killed – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Imambargah caretaker shot dead in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan

An imambargah caretaker was shot dead in Punjab's Nankana Sahib as the next victim in the ongoing Shiite Genocide.

Furthermore, Shiite Syed Alamdar Hussain was shot in Nankana and the Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists managed to escape as usual. The martyr's body has been shifted to a nearby hospital and protests are underway against the killing.

Sipah-e-Sahaba terrorists have almost free reign under the Punjab Government. They keep targeting Shiites and they are still backed by the governors who even visit their rallies.

Nankana Sahib: An Imambargah Caretaker shot dead by Sipah-e-Sahaba – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Quetta: Bus coming from Taftan to Quetta attacked, several deaths fearedopen original article

A Pilgrims' bus en route from Taftan to Quetta has come under a bomb attack by the extremist terrorists of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Casualties are expected to be high.

Furthermore the bus was targeted 41 km outside Quetta near Mastung. The death toll has already reached 5 and is expected to increase.

Officials claim that the bus caught fire after the blast. They have confirmed that atleast 5 have been martyred. There were 30 to 40 Shiites aboard the bus including children.

As a result of the blast, atleast a dozen people have been injured. They have all been moved to a nearby hospital and are being said to be in critical conditions.

It is worth remembering that Pilgrim buses have been targeted at Taftan and Mastung before and due to the incompetent police and law enforcement, the bus was targeted at the same place again.

There is a lot of anger amongst Shiites at the Taftan incident. Government officials seem helpless in stopping these attacks or providing Shiites any solutions to their problems.

Quetta: Bus coming from Taftan to Quetta attacked, several deaths feared – Shia Killing | English

 

[Singh]

Larger picture of Shia genocide in Gilgit Baltistan – Express Tribune editorial​

Addressing the first joint session of the Gilgit-Baltistan Council and Legislative Assembly on September 28, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced Rs2 billion in socio-economic development funds "to grapple with the wave of deadly sectarian violence that has gripped the restive tourism haven". He was clearly shaken by the recent massacre of Shia passengers travelling in a bus on the Karakoram Highway (KKH). He said that the FC, Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts and police units had been deployed on the KKH for the protection of passengers and the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had been asked "to ensure secure journey of passengers".

Gilgit-Baltistan is another 'far-flung' but strategically important region, where the writ of the state has been leeched away since the Afghan war against the Soviet occupation started under the tutelage of General Ziaul Haq. The KKH had been built by the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto government, which India saw as a chessboard move challenging its presence in Kashmir. General Zia, however, soon discovered that the real threat was not from India, but from his new policy of using proxies against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Two developments took place that had enduring effects for the coming decades. The jihad was dominated by the mujahideen funded by America and Saudi Arabia, which meant that General Zia had a stormy relationship with Iran. Shias were targeted by mujahideen "because they were reluctant to help in fighting the jihad against the Soviet occupation". Shias of Kurram Agency were attacked by mujahideen, followed by the incursion of a Sunni Lashkar into the region in 1988, in order to sort out the majority Shia-Ismaili population of the region. Decades later, the punishment meted out to Shias has reached new depths. This time, it is happening in the shape of the death of the writ of the state in areas such as Kurram Agency, Gilgit-Baltistan and Quetta, whereHazara Shias are being systematically exterminated.

The then-commissioner of Gilgit has been immortalised in history for writing what really happened in 1988. He stated: "It was clear to the Gilgit civil administration that the raiders, who were tribals and mujahideen elements, could not have reached this remote place from Peshawar without someone's blessing. The FC, whose check posts dot the Swat-Besham road and the Besham-Gilgit highway, did not act to intercept the raiders. The true significance of the Gilgit riot has never been highlighted by our media." In 2012, the Taliban, fighting another war in Afghanistan under the tutelage of al Qaeda, are using Gilgit-Baltistan as their hinterland, which has to be religiously cleansed.

A professor travelling in the ill-fated bus on August 16 that was gunned down, stated that in the Babusar bus carnage, four Sunnis were killed by terrorists as they came forward to save their Shia brethren. As another proof that the region was never divided along sectarian lines, he added that "terrorists beat up the Sunni passengers for not being supportive in identifying the Shia passengers".

Gilgit-Baltistan was roughed up again during the Kargil operation when external non-state actors were allowed to penetrate the region — all of them either Deobandi or Ahle Hadith, poisoned against the Shia majority of the region and supported by the military commander there, who was conducting the infiltration into the high mountains against the Indian presence.

No one cared that the region was more important for the national economy than for military strategy against India: the Bhasha Dam, which was to be an alternative to the Kalabagh Dam; and the gas pipeline coming from Iran was also planned for passage to China through the region. Pakistan was defeated in the Kargil operation and the economic transformation projected through the construction of the Bhasha Dam and the gas pipeline are now in abeyance till the Taliban are finally defeated by the army. The Rs2 billion package offered by the PM is welcome, but the larger picture in Gilgit-Baltistan is gloomy because of Pakistan's isolationist foreign policy that some would say tends to favour the Taliban-al Qaeda combine.


For peace in Gilgit-Baltistan – The Express Tribune

 

[Singh]

The Plight of Pakistan's Shiites
​

Pakistani Shiites in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, attended a funeral for victims killed in a suicide bomb attack targeted at a Shiite procession.


LONDON — Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is one of four sacred months during which fighting is prohibited. In Pakistan, it is usually one of the bloodiest. Sectarian militant groups see it as the perfect opportunity to target Shiite Muslims, who mark Muharram with daily sermons and frequent processions.

Sectarian attacks have intensified across the country since the holy month started last week. On Monday, a bomb blast at an imambargah (a Shiite mosque or congregation hall) in Karachi claimed two lives. On Wednesday, five people were killed and 11 wounded in back-to-back blasts near another imambargah in Karachi. That same night, 23 people were killed and more than 60 wounded when a suicide bomber attacked a procession in Rawalpindi. Meanwhile in Peshawar, the police seized a large quantity of explosive material and arrested a would-be suicide bomber.

This violence is not new. My home in Karachi is down the road from an imambargah, and each year brings more elaborate security arrangements: policemen with flashlights have gradually given way to razor wire, road blocks, armed guards, concrete barriers, and even bunkers.


This year, the road has been completely blocked to traffic since the start of Muharram. And yet the violence could still intensify, especially on the 9th and 10th days of Muharram — this year, Nov. 24 and 25 — the special days of remembrance known as Ashura, which are observed with public mourning, processions and sermons.

The situation has been made worse by the Pakistani government's half-hearted and hapless efforts to tackle sectarian militancy. Last week, anticipating attacks, the government suspended cellphone service in Karachi and Quetta, capital of the western province of Baluchistan, to block coordination among militants. Interior Minister Rehman Malik also pushed for a temporary ban on motorcycles, the bombers' vehicle of choice. (But millions of middle-income Pakistanis also use bikes, and so the courts blocked the measure, except along procession routes during Ashura.) Malik has also managed to prohibit cars and motorcycles across Sindh and in Quetta from parking within 1,000 yards of any imambargah — a tall order in a city as densely populated as Karachi.

Following this week's attacks, 100 C.C.T.V. cameras were installed to monitor processions in Karachi (at a cost of 50 million rupees, or $520,000). The Pakistani Army will probably be standing by. And cellphone services are likely to be suspended again in the provinces of Sindh and Baluchistan.

Yet the fuss over motorcycles and mobile phones is ridiculous given the government's failure to address the root causes of sectarian violence. Although anti-Shiite militant groups like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (A.S.W.J.) are officially banned, they nonetheless broadcast their hateful views through sermons and at rallies. They operate throughout the country with minimal government interference. And their message is starting to resonate: According to a recent Pew poll, only 50 percent of Pakistani Sunnis accept Shiites as Muslim.

Worse, politicians blatantly seek their support. In 2010, Rana Sanaullah, a member of the opposition PML-N party, campaigned for a local election in Punjab alongside Maulana Muhammad Ahmed Ludhianvi, leader of the A.S.W.J. This past February, members of the party of the cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan shared a platform with the Defense of Pakistan Council, a coalition of 40 extremist organizations, including many anti-Shiite groups.


About 425 people have been killed in 149 sectarian attacks this year, primarily Shiites at the hands of Sunnis. The Hazara ethnic minority, mostly Shiites who live in Baluchistan, is especially vulnerable.

Despite the escalating violence, the government has made too little effort to root out militancy. The National Counter Terrorism Authority, founded in 2009 to develop a holistic strategy against domestic terrorism, is ineffectual. And where sectarianism thrives, regulating motorcycles and phone use won't save lives.
The Plight of Pakistan's Shiites - NYTimes.com

 

[Raj30]

BBC News - Blast in southwest Pakistan kills Shia pilgrims

The BBC's Aleem Maqbool: "Mastung... is a place where there've been many attacks in the past"

Pakistan's sectarian schism
Pakistan's Shias fear sectarian attacks
Ten killed in Pakistan attacks

At least 19 Shia Muslim pilgrims have been killed by a bomb attack on a bus convoy in southwest Pakistan, local officials say.

More than 20 people have been injured in the incident in the Mastung district of Baluchistan province.

Pakistan has experienced worsening sectarian violence in recent years. Last month 23 Shia Muslims were killed by a bomb in the city of Rawalpindi.

No group has yet said it carried out Sunday's bombing.

Initial reports said it had been detonated by remote control but a government official said it had been a suicide attack.

Officials said that some of those injured were in a critical condition and that the death toll may rise.

The bus convoy had reportedly been on their way to neighbouring Iran, a Shia-majority country and popular pilgrimage destination.

 

[hit&run]

Shia leaders question Army chief over Quetta carnage | Pakistan | DAWN.COM

QUETTA: Shia leaders on Friday publicly questioned Pakistani army chief General Ashfaq Kayani over security in the country after the previous day's bombings aimed at the minority sect killed at least 102 people in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province.

Only thing Pakistani Shias (Shiites) can do is breed like rabbits to out pace deaths from Sunni bomb blasts sponsored by Pakistan army and ISI.