MQM pledges support for Hazara Shia protest

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MQM pledges support for Hazara Shia protest

Dawn.com Dawn News Published January 12, 2013

Protesters carrying the bodies of their relatives awaiting burial, who were killed in Thursday’s deadly bombings in Quetta. — Photo by AP

KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) on Saturday pledged support for the sit-in protest by the Hazara Shia community in Quetta, calling on the federal and Balochistan governments to accept the legitimate demands of the grieving relatives of victims of Thursday’s blasts in the city.

Hundreds of people belonging to the Hazara Shia community were staging a sit-in on Alamdar Road, refusing to bury the dead till the army takes control of Quetta.

The death toll from the three blasts on Thursday – two targeting Hazara Shias claimed by the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) – has risen to 104.

In telephonic conversations with Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Saturday, MQM chief Altaf Hussain condemned the ‘continued apathy’ of the Balochistan government despite protests by the Hazara community in Quetta and their refusal to bury the bodies of the blast victims.

Hussain said that the Hazara community was being repeatedly massacred in Quetta, however no protection was being provided to the persecuted minority. He also protested against the fact that no prominent official from the government had visited Alamdar Road to express their solidarity with the victims.

The MQM chief urged the PM and interior minister to immediately take notice of the legitimate demands of the demonstrators, and to make arrangements for the burials of the victims.

Meanwhile, deputy convener of the MQM’s Rabita Committee, Farooq Sattar spoke to the chairman of the Hazara Qaumi Jirga, Haji Abdul Qayyum Hazara, and expressed his party’s solidarity with the relatives of the victims, and the MQM’s support of the protesting members of the community.

MQM is the largest political party in Karachi and an ally of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) coalition in the National Assembly.

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Shahid

Jan 12, 2013 03:20pm

Well done MQM

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Asad Khan

Jan 12, 2013 03:39pm

Empty words with no meaning. Is this support similar to the support for Tahir-ul-Qadri's long march? Leave them lurching when it comes time to provide real support. I want to see the media stop printing every word that comes out of Altaf Husain's mouth as if it is some sort of a divine gospel. Pakistan is done with the politics of words as it is time for politics of action.

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Nadir Shah

Jan 12, 2013 04:37pm

Hazara Shia community before accepting solidarity, offered by Altaf Hussain & MQM, should check with Tahir ul Qadri. He too was offered same solidarity. Now he will be marching alone in long march..

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Syed Nayyar Uddin Ahmad

Jan 12, 2013 05:02pm

What a shame for the entire 180 million population of Pakistan that their brothers and sisters with their kids, are protesting in Quetta since 2 PM of last Friday under minus 4 degrees C, with more than 7 dozen unburied corpses. And we are sleeping under our cozy houses. This is callousness at its worst. Mr. Chief Justice BHC and Mr. Chief Justice SC of Pakistan, hope you are aware of these miseries of the suffering community of Hazara tribe in Quetta. Wake up Pakistan, before its too late.

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G.Rasool Baloch

Jan 12, 2013 05:26pm

Wake up Hazara Shia community, learn from Tahir ul Qadri's experience. MQM & Altaf promised him their support. Qadri is marching alone.

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Karachiwalla

Jan 12, 2013 05:28pm

Only Altaf Bhai stands with people in distress nobody other

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akbari

Jan 12, 2013 07:06pm

The present government has never been sincere in solving any problem of the country. To solve the problem faced by Hazara Shias specially and overall Shias and quite some minorities in general it needs a brave , sincere and large hearted people in the government. Do we have them ?

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Lahorewalla

Jan 12, 2013 07:13pm

He surely stood with Tahir ul Qadri !!

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Hasnain Haque

Jan 12, 2013 07:23pm

Mr Syed you are right, people of Pakistan are now the worst people in the world. Hundreds of Pakistani's have been killed in the last week alone and no one cares. People are more worried about long marches but nobody marches for the right causes. This is a sign of a corrupt and immoral Islamic country. An Islamic country where muslims kill muslims, muslims kill Hindus and Christians and muslims kill for any other reason. I so pity Pakistan and the Pakistani nation.

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Hasnain Haque

Jan 12, 2013 07:26pm

Mr Shah, who really cares for this march, what is the march for, who does it benefit and how. If anyone had any sense in Pakistan they would be marching against senseless killings, they would be marching against Taliban attrocities and terrorism but no Pakistani's march for the wrong reasons. Is it any wonder that the country has become a failed state. Shame on you people of Pakistan.

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mazharuddin

Jan 12, 2013 07:32pm

We all should prove honest and civilized. Better and civilized way is the unconditional burial of dead people. And for complete and permanent solution there should have International Conference on Sectarian disputes. Foreign element only encourage for disturbance. The matters be solved on the basis of justice with taking Historical facts. All such belief should be banned and not allowed to produce publicly that deny basic human rights. All dead people should be respected they all are common ancestors. Further don't deny freedom of expression of anyone, media should play honest and just role, not having one sided money and hunted approach. In this civilized world, people should not be pushed to falsehood and fanaticism. Civilized society do not like religious processions and congregations at public places as well as suspicious sayings and other material that are against natural justice should not be produced in public where 90% population belongs Sunni Hanafi as all such acts spread hatred. Political parties should play fare role. All target killers simultaneously be brought to justice involved killing in Quetta and also in Karachi. There is no record of processions, congregations and mourning from the period of Caliph Abu Baker to Caliph Muawiya who was wholeheartedly accepted by all. Need to control religious extremism and for this cause all religious processions and congregations should be banned in educational institutions as that too create hatred and extremism. This a crime to overlook reality and fact.

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Asad Khan

Jan 12, 2013 07:33pm

The reference to Tahir-ul-Qadri's long march is not an endorsement for it, just mentioned to point to Altaf Husain's duplicity and hypocrisy.

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Nadir Shah

Jan 12, 2013 07:41pm

Hasnain Haque; Undoubtedly ,It is tragedy for whole of Pakistan,Shame on mullahs especially who keep on preaching their version of Islam leading to intolerance. My reference to march was in context of MQM's shifting sand philosophy which is epitome of hypocrisy,Hazara community can live without.

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foulmouthed

Jan 12, 2013 10:21pm

Chief Minister is still in Dubai.

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