Freeze on Afghan asylum seekers lifted

(Thewest.com.au)The Federal Government has announced it will lift immediately a freeze on the processing of claims from Afghan asylum seekers.

The suspension, which has been blamed in part for overcrowding in Australia's detention centres, was imposed by the Government in April and was set to be reviewed next week.

However, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen today said the suspension would be lifted immediately following information from Department of Immigration and the Australian embassy in Kabul

All Afghan asylum seekers affected by the suspension will be provided with access to an Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme agent and assistance in preparing claims.

Mr Bowen said all claims would be assessed on a case-by-case basis by department officials after guidelines were issued.

"The Government is committed to providing protection to those who are found to be genuine refugees, in accordance with Australia's international obligations," he said in a statement.

"Those people who are found not to be refugees will be returned to Afghanistan."

The Government was working closely with the UNHCR and the Afghanistan government to facilitate the safe, sustainable return of unsuccessful asylum seekers, Mr Bowen said.

FOUR MEMBERS OF ETHNIC HAZARA FELL VICTIM TO TERRORIST ATTACK IN HAZAR GANJI, QUETTA

Liaquat Ali Hazara, September 28, 2010: Unknown terrorists opened fire on a vehicle carrying four innocent Hazara grocers in Hazar Ganji, Quetta at 11:00 AM local time, killing two of them on the spot and injuring two others. The grocers were returning home from Hazara Ganji when armed men targeted them with automatic assault gun. The slain Hazaras have been identified as Murad Ali (Zahir) S/O Qadam Ali and Qari Mohammad Ali S/O Qurban Ali, in their early 50s, while the identity of the injured ones is being confirmed. Later, the dead bodies were shifted to Nichari Imam Bargah, Alamdar Road, Quetta to be laid to rest in Hazara Graveyard today while the injured have been admitted to Sandeman Provincial Hospital for emergency treatment.

Unknown terrorists opened fire on a vehicle carrying four innocent Hazara in Hazar Ganji, Quetta.

It is worth mentioning that over 53 Hazara youths were killed on 3rd September, 2010 in Mizan Chowk, Quetta when a suicide bomber blew him up among peaceful protesters, participating in a rally taken against the unlawful occupation of Baith-ul-Muqadas by Israeli forces and to express solidarity with Palestinian people. Later, Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and Lashker-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility of the suicide bombing in separate telephone calls made to the local news agencies.

Eyewitnesses and local doctors have confirmed that most of causalities happened due to bullet injuries of law enforcement agencies and paramilitary troops including Frontier Corp and Anti-Terrorists Force (en elite police commando group, trained to combat terrorism).

The law enforcement agencies, as usual, have expressed sheer apathy to the entire matter, terming it as target killing in a bid to close the files without any further investigation. The peaceful ethnic Hazaras have been living in Quetta city for centuries but the decade long target killings and terrorist attacks against them have relatively confined them to their areas. The whole city is gripped with anxiety, uncertainty and frustration due to deteriorating law and order situation.

Pertinent to security of the Province, the Provincial government under the leadership of Nawab Aslam Raisani – an elected Chief Minister of Pakistan People’s Party – turned out to be a complete failure in providing security and safety to the people. In the general election of February, 2008, the Baloch Chieftain, Nawab Asalm Raisani was unanimously elected as the Leader of Balochistan Provincial Assembly who claimed to provide complete security to the people and improve the law and order within two years else he would resign. The Federal and Provincial Governments have completed the tenure of over 2.5 years; however, the Balochistan Government has failed to chalk out a viable plan of action to cleanse the society of the malice of sectarianism, extremism, target killings and terrorist attacks.

The formidable law and order situation in Quetta city, especially among Hazaras, has created a chaotic situation which is driving the youths towards fierce retaliation. The Federal Interior Minister, Rehman Malik early this month, vowed to start targeted operation against Baloch resistance groups in the province, however, he ignored to mention of any action against the extremist outfits such as Lashker-e-Jhangvi and Sipah-e-Sahaba etc, operating actively and targeting innocent Hazaras.

(Courtesy: Hazaranation.com)

Hanson-Young: Time for `More Sensible` Plan For Housing Asylum Seekers

From: Mathaba
Canberra (mathaba) The Australian Greens say the Federal Government is still maintaining the wrong approach to dealing with vulnerable asylum-seekers and refugees, according to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young.


Senator Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on Immigration and Human Rights, says adding another 1200 asylum-seekers at the Curtin Detention Centre and up to 300 at Scherger Airforce Base in Queensland reinforces the Government's reliance on remote detention locations when it should be reducing it.

"The decision to expand Curtin and open a new centre in far north Queensland shows the Government's immigration focus is on keeping vulnerable asylum-seekers out of sight, out of mind,'' Senator Hanson-Young said.

"The Gillard Government has not learned the lessons from the failures of the past - we need to be bringing asylum-seekers to the mainland and housing them close to support and services, not leaving them languishing in isolated island centres or inappropriate desert prisons.

"The Greens also believe the Government must lift the suspension for Afghan asylum-seekers.

"On a day when Afghan expert Professor William Maley has re-emphasised the dangers and persecution faced by Hazaras if they are returned to Afghanistan, it is all the more important that our new Immigration Minister moves to end this bad, poorly conceived policy''.

The Greens have consistently opposed the suspension of processing of asylum claims from Sri Lanka (since lifted) and Afghanistan. Professor Maley from the Australian National University today called for an end to the freeze, referring to a recent massacre in Uruzgan province where 11 Hazaras were decapitated and left to rot on the side of the road.

"We also know that indefinite detention of people, particularly of children, leads to deteriorating levels of mental health. This policy risks a mental health crisis similar to that experienced during the dark days of the Howard regime,'' Senator Hanson-Young said.

"We can't keep people in limbo any longer - the Government has to end the bottleneck that it has created by its own decisions. It's time for an end to the suspension, a move to faster processing and a more humane, community-based approach.'' #

Darwin Story

http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45286

کوئٹه میں یوم القدس کے جلوس پر حملہ اور هزاره جوانوں کی غلطیاں

By Nisar Naiman (Dubai)

تین ستمبر 2010 کو کوئٹہ میں یوم القدس کی ریلی پر انسانیت دشمن عناصر کیطرف سے ایک اور خودکش حملہ ہوا اس کے بعد ایف سی نے مشتعل لوگوں پر فایرینگ بهی کی – اس خود کش حمله اور اس کے بعد فایرنگ سے 75 افراد شهید اور 200 سے زیاده زخمی ہوگئے۔ شهید اور زخمی ہونے والے اکثراً هزاره قوم سے تعلق رکهتے ہیں۔ طالبان اور اسلام دشمن عناصر نے قدس کے جلوس پر حملہ کرکے ایک بار پهر ثابت کردیا که وه اسلام، قرآن ، دین، مذهب، مسجد ، امام بارگاه، مکہ، مدینہ اور قدس یا بیت المقدس کے خلاف ہیں . وه تو شروع سے ہی اسلام کے خلاف تهے. اب بهی ان کا ٹارگٹ مسلمانوں کا خاتمہ کرنا ہے. لهاذا کوئٹہ میں جلوس پر حملہ ان اسلام دشمن عناصرکی وحشی گری اور سفاکی کا ایک اور ثبوت ہے.

یوم القدس کیا ہے

رمضان المبارک کے آخری جمعہ کو ایران کے روحانی پیشوا آیت الله خمینی نے 1979 کوفلسطینیوں کی حمایت کیلئے یوم القدس کا نام دیا. اب هر سال یہ دن ایران اور کئی مسلمان ممالک میں ریلی نکال کر فلسطینیوں کے ساتھ یوم یکجہتی کے طور پر منایا جاتاہے۔

کوئٹہ میں یوم القدس کیوں؟

بلوچستان کا دارالحکومت کوئٹہ بیت المقدس سے هزاروں میل دور ہے. یہاں پرلاکهوں فرزندان توحید رہتے ہیں لیکن ان میں سے کسی نے فلسطینیوں کی صدای مظلومیت نہیں سنی اور نہ ہی کسی نے محسوس کیا که فلسطین پر اسرائیل کی طرف سے ظلم ہورہاہے.اس کے علاوه پوری دنیا میں ایک ارب سے زیاده فلسطینیوں کے هم مذهب مسلمان ہیں جو 22 عرب ممالک اور کئی غیر عرب ملکوں میں رہتے ہیں ، ان میں سے بهی کسی نے فلسطینیوں کی حمایت میں ریلی نکالنا اور اسرائیل کے خلاف نعره بازی کو ضروری نہیں سمجها لیکن هزاره قوم کو اسرائیل کے خلاف اور فلسطینیوں کی حمایت میں جلوس نکالنے کی ضرورت زیاده محسوس ہوئی.آخر هزاره قوم کیوں یوم القدس مناتی ہیں؟ کیوں هرسال ایرانی لیڈروں کی تصاویر کے بینرز اٹهاکر فلسطین کی آزادی اور اسرائیل – امریکہ کی بربادی کے نعرے لگاتی ہیں؟ یوم القدس منانے سے کیا ملتاہے؟ یہ دن ہمارے لئے کیوں اتنا اہم ہے؟ یوم القدس کی ریلی میں شرکت کرنے والوں سے اگر پوچها جائے تو ان میں سے اکثراً اسرائیل اور فلسطین کے جغرافیائی نقشے کے بارے میں کچه نہیں جانتے ، بس اتنا جانتے ہیں کہ اسرائیل غاصب ہے لیکن ان کو غاصب کا مطلب تک نہیں پتہ. لهاذا ان سوالوں کو جواب دینے کیلئے اسرائیل اورفلسطین کے بارے میں ایک مختصر خاکہ پیش کرنا ضروری ہے.

پچهترلاکھ آبادی پرمشتمل اسرائیل ایک چهوٹی سی یهودی ریاست کا نام ہے جومشرقی وسطی میں فلسطین کی سرزمین پر 14 مئی 1948 کو معرض وجود میں آئی.اسرائیل کی تشکیل کے بعد فلسطین کے باقی مانده سرزمین دو حصوں میں تقسیم ہوگئی. ایک حصہ مغربی کناره ہےجس پر اس وقت محمود عباس کی حکومت ہے ، دوسرا غزه پٹی ہےجہاں پر حماس کی مسلح دهڑوں کا کنٹرول ہے. بیت المقدس جو مسلمانوں کا قبله اول تها اس وقت اسرائیل کے قبضه میں ہے اور فلسطینی لوگ بیت المقدس اور فلسطین کے تمام مقبوضہ علاقوں کو اسرائیل کے قبضہ سے آزاد کرنا چاہتے ہیں. لهذا یہ جهگڑا پچهلے 62 سال سے ان کے درمیان جاری ہے.

تاریخ بتاتی ہے کہ فلسطینی لوگ بہت عیاش اور خوشگذران تهے. یهودیوں کو ان کی کمزوری کا پته تها اس لئے انہوں نے اپنے لڑکیوں کے ذریعہ عربوں کو اپنے جال میں پهنسایا. عربوں نے یهودی لڑکیوں سے شادیان کیں- ان کی اولاد نے اپنی ما‎ؤں کیطرح یهودیت کو قبول کیا اور یوں یهودی آبادی بڑهتی گئی بالآخرعربوں کی تن پروری اور یهودیوں کی چالاکی کی وجه سے فلسطین کی سرزمین پر ایک یهودی ریاست معرض وجود میں آئی.

فلسطینی لوگ بهت متعصب ہیں. دبی میں ایک فلسطینی سے میں نے خود پوچها که کیا فلسطین میں بهی شیعه ہے تو اس نے جواب دیا لا الحمدلله. یعنی نہیں خدا کا شکر ہے کہ ہمارے ملک میں کوئی بهی شیعه نہیں ہے. اب ایسے لوگ جو اپنی عیاشی اورکاہلی کی وجہ سے اپنے ملک کهو بیهٹے ہیں اور شیعیت کے بهی اتنا خلاف ہیں که فلسطین میں شیعہ نہ ہونے پر خدا کا شکر کرتے ہیں، کیا ان کی حمایت میں ریلی نکالنا اور اپنے جوانوں کی قربانی دینا عقلمندی هے؟ کیا ایک بیرونی طاقت کے کہنے پر سڑکوں پر نکلنا، ان کے مفادات کیلئے نعرے لگانا، ان کی تصاویر اور بینرز اٹهانا اور ان کے لئے قربانی دینا سب سے بڑی غلطی نہیں ہے ؟

کوئٹہ میں یوم القدس مناتے ہوےهزاره قوم کے سینکڑوں جوانوں کا خون میں غوطه ور ہونے سے صرف اور صرف ایران کوسیاسی فایده پہنچا. ایرانی میڈیہ نےهزاره قوم کی بربادی کومذهبی جوش وخروش اور جذبہ کا رنگ دیکر دنیا میں یوں پیش کیا که پاکستان میں شیعہ حضرات ایران کے لیڈر کی پیروی کرتے ہوے ان کے کہنے پر قربانی دینے کیلئے هر وقت تیار ہیں. بیشک اس جلوس میں هزاره برادری سے تعلق رکهنے والوں کی تعداد بہت کم تهی لیکن دنیا کو دکهانے کیلئے اور ان کے جلوس سے سیاسی فائده اٹهانے کیلئے یه تعداد بهی کافی تهی.

اثرات اور نقصانات

کوئته میں هزاره قوم کو اس دردناک حادثہ سے مندرجہ ذیل نقصانات هوے

هزاره برادری کو سخت نقصان ہونا

ظاهر ہے اس حادثہ سے سب سے زیاده دکھ اور نقصان هزاره قوم کو ہوا. هر گهر میں صف ماتم بچھ گئی – هر گلی سے ناله و شیون کی آوازسنائی دیتی ہے – شهیدوں کی لاشیں، زخمیوں کی پکار، رشته داروں کا رونا، یتیموں کے آنسو، بد نصیب بیوه خواتین کی آه و زاری اور بعض افراد کے طعنے.. قیامت کا منظر صاف نظر آتاہے.کوئٹہ کی تاریخ میں اس قسم کے حادثہ کی مثال نہیں ملتی. لهاذا هزاره برادری کے بہت سارے لوگوں کو اس خونین حادثہ کے بعد ذهنی عدم توازن کا شکار ہونے کا اندیشه ہے.

بعض لوگوں کا دین سے دور هونا

اس قیامت خیز منظر کو دیکهنا اور اس کی ذمه داری مذهبی جماعتوں پر لاگو ہونے کے بعد کئی لوگ دین اورمذهب سے بیزار هوکر اسلام اور معنویت سے دور ہوجاتے ہیں. کیونکہ انہوں نے مذهبی جلوسوں سے اپنی قوم کے جوانوں کی لاشیں اور خون میں غوطه ور زخمیوں کے سوا کچھ نہیں دیکها ہے۔

هزاره قوم سے سکیورٹی فورسز کا اعتبار اٹھ جانا

اس حادثه سے هزاره قوم کی امن پسندی امیج برباد ہوگئی – پورے پاکستان میں اور خاص طور پر کوئٹہ شهر میں هزاره قوم
سب سے زیاده امن پسند، مہذب، ترقی یافته، ایماندار اور قانون نافذکرنے والوں کے ساتھ تعاون کرنے والی قوم تصور کی جاتی تهی لیکن اب سکیورٹی فورسز کا اعتبار هزاره قوم سے بهی اٹھ گیا.

مجهے امید ہے که هزاره قوم کے نوجواں ماضی کی غلطیوں سے درس لیکر آینده کوئی ایسا کام نہیں کریں گے جس کی وجہ سے ہماری قوم کو نقصان پہنچے بلکہ ان کو چاہئیں که سب ملکراپنے درمیان سے بیرونی دشمن طاقتوں کو بهگاکر ایک دوسرے کا ہاتھ مظبوطی سے پکڑ کر هزاره قوم کی بیداری، بهلائی اور فلاح و بہبود کیلئے کام کریں

Hazaras risk death if refugee claims rejected: expert (ABC News)

There are renewed calls for the Federal Government to rethink its freeze on the processing of Afghan asylum seekers, particularly ethnic minority Hazaras.

A fortnight ago about 80 Afghan asylum seekers broke out of the Darwin Detention Centre, pleading to be recognised as refugees.
Many had been told their applications were rejected. Others have been in limbo under a federal policy to suspend applications from Afghans and Sri Lankans.
Afghanistan expert William Maley says the visa freeze should be overturned.
The Australian National University professor says daily life for Hazara people in Afghanistan is dangerous and full of risk, and their refugee applications should be fast-tracked, not suspended.
"There's no excuse for people in decision-making roles not to understand the risks that Hazaras face," he said.
"The historical experience in Afghanistan for Hazaras, and also the recent experience, is so well documented that to set the bar high for them in terms of the refugee claim is really to be out of touch with the complexities that are on the ground there."
Professor Maley says Hazaras have been persecuted in Afghanistan since the 19th century.
He says 11 Hazaras were decapitated and left to rot on the side of the road in a recent massacre in Uruzgan province.
"It's indeed very dangerous for Hazaras. This is something which seems to have been completely overlooked by the Government in its decision making," he said.
"Of course, by suspending processing of people whose claims probably should be rapidly approved, the Government then set the scene for clogging up of detention centres which is creating this hot house atmosphere."
The Federal Government's suspension on refugee applications from Afghans and Sri Lankans is due to be reviewed next month.

DEATH TOLL REACHED 73, OVER 200 INJURED IN QUETTA BOMB BLAST

QUETTA, September 03rd, 2010: According to our sources in Quetta, the death toll has reached 73 with over 200 injured due to bomb blast(s) occurring at the heart of the rally today. The peaceful rally is being observed by Imamia Students Organization (ISO) every year on the last Friday of the Holy Month of Ramadan to proclaim international solidarity of Muslims in support of the legitimate rights of the Muslims of Palestine.


In Quetta, people, belonging to all faiths and schools of thought, participate in the rally to show their unity and unconditional support to the people of Palestine. The rally is led to the heart of the city, known as Mizan Chowk where Ulemas and religious scholars throw light over the importance of Baith-ul-Muqaddas or Al-Quds and express their unprecedented commitment and support to the Palestinians.

Due to recent surge in wave of suicide bombings and well-organized attacks on processions, rallies, gatherings and prayer congregations of Shi’ite sect of Islam in Pakistan, “The law enforcement agencies had credible evidence that the terrorists have plans to attack the rally in Quetta”, said Inspector General, Balochistan Police, while talking to a TV Channel. The IG, Balochistan Police failed to executive a master plan to cordon off the area for complete check up before the rally was taken out and merely claiming to have reliable evident of suicide bombing insinuates law enforcement agencies’ involvement into such executions. There is unconfirmed report as to how the blast happened as some eye witnesses believe that the bomb may have been planted into a motorbike and blew with a remote control while some sources term it as suicide bombing. So far, 73 deaths have been confirmed and over 200 injured who are mainly of ethnic Hazara, predominantly belonging to Shi’ite sect of Islam. There were no doctors available on duty when the injured were rushed to hospitals for emergency treatment which had left many expire due to apathy of the Health Authorities. Reportedly, many casualties happened due to shootings of Frontier Corps – a paramilitary force - being controlled by the Federal Government and called upon at the request of the Provincial Government to assist in maintaining law and order situation in the city. Their negligence of the professional duties and firing at innocent people requires immediate judicial inquiry into matter in order to ascertain the ground realities and penalize those held responsible for ordering and opening fire at innocent citizens.

Needless to say that this is not first time when law enforcement agencies have opened fire at innocent ethnic Hazaras as the troopers deployed at the sites of processions and rallies belong to Sunni faction of Islam, mostly belonging to Wahabi orthodox faction, responsible mainly for spreading terrorism and fanning extremism in entire Pakistan. In an stance, on 2nd March, 2004, the religious fanatics linked to Al-Qaeda and the Taliban attacked the peaceful mourners in Liaquat Bazaar, Quetta with grenades and automatic assault rifles killing 65 people and injuring over 250 innocent Hazaras. The incident happened on the 10th of Muharram when the Shi’ites all over the world take out processions to commemorate the Martyrdom of the grandson of Prophet Mohammad (Peace be upon him and his progeny), Hazrat Imam Hussain (A.S) and his 72 companions. On 02-03-2004, the Anti Terrorist Force – a special group of police recruits – formed to combat terrorist but they opened fire on innocent Shi’ite Hazaras which killed and injured over 300, creating a chaotic situation in the city which remained, alarmingly, tense for years to come.

The Hazaras have been living in Quetta, Pakistan even before the birth of the country whose inclusion and services into the then British Army were known as Hazara Pioneer. Under the banner of Hazara Pioneer, the Hazaras would serve the army in all disciplines including sports. They are now facing a threatening situation by the Taliban cum Al-Qaeda networks who have active support of on-service high ranked government bureaucrats and politicians. Evidently, many of these terrorists were apprehended by the law enforcement agencies who were either released by the courts of law due to insufficient documentary proofs or their escape from prisons were facilitated by the local police but no one has been held responsible for these maladministration nor any satisfactory enquiry has been conducted to nap the police officers and bring them to justice.

FUNERAL PRAYERS FOR THE MARTYRS OF MIZAN CHOWK SUICIDE BLAST OFFERED AMID GRIEF AND SORROW

QUETTA, September 04th, 2010: 53 Martyrs of the yesterday’s suicide bombing were laid to rest in Hazara Graveyard on Saturday amid awe and shock as thousands of people attended the funeral procession to pay tribute and salute to their love ones. The environment of the city, noticeably, remained calm and tense where Balochistan Shi’ite Conference had called for a shutter down strike throughout the city in a statement issued from its Press Cell yesterday. They have also called a 40 Day Mourning, strongly condemning the incident as people belonging to all factions of Islam were among the attendees of the rally when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the center of the gathering on Mizan Chowk yesterday and killing dozens of people immediately. The death toll later reached to 75 with over 200 injured who are being treated as various hospitals of the city.


The suicide bombing occurred in a rally held by Imamia Students Organization at Mizan Chowk when innocent people were chanting slogans against Israel for unlawful occupation of Palestinian land and Bait-ul-Muqadas or Al-Quds to show their uncompromised pledge and support to the Palestinian people. A large majority of the rally protesters belonged to ethnic Shi’ite Hazara and this rally is taken out every year on the last Friday of the holy month of Ramadan to mark their solidarity with the people of Palestine and against Israeli aggression and occupation.

The defunct extremist group Laskhar-e-Janghvi linked to Al-Qaeda, in a telephone call to local media, claimed the responsibility of this tragic incident and said these attacks will continue in the future too. In a separate phone call, the Commander for Tehrik Taliban Pakistan , Qari Hussain Mehsud also claimed the responsibility for the suicide bombing and said that though they are fighting the US and the Pakistani Government, “Shi’ites are also our target”, talking to a foreign news channel, Associated Press (AP).

Pertinent to the yesterday’s callous incident, the Frontier Corps – a paramilitary force – controlled by the federal government and deployed in the province on the request of the provincial government to assist in maintaining law and order in the province; completed neglected their professional commitments of protecting life and property of the people and opened fire at innocent ethnic Hazaras killing dozens of people on the spot.

Later, Inspector General, Balochistan Police, talking to media blamed the organizers of the rally for this unfortunate happening while ignoring his constitutional and official responsibilities of protecting life of people. According to reliable sources in Quetta over 70 Hazara youths have been arrested by the law enforcement agencies on the pretext of disrupting law and order situation.

Worse to mention is that fact that the Awami National Party, Muslim League N, Jamiat Ulema Islam, Jang News Group and Trade Association, Prince Road Quetta have all turned their guns against ethic Hazaras with the demand from law enforcement agencies to arrest the miscreants of firing instead of condemning the suicide bombing or protesting against this savage incident.

Breaking News! There are strong rumors and reports in the Western media that under immense international pressure generated by the worldwide demonstrations on this Al-Quds day, Israel is planning to hand back the control of the disputed Holy City of Jerusalem. Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Prime Minister of Israeli will be giving out a statement in this regard later this week in which he will chalk out the details of the ‘Disengagement-from-Jerusalem’ plan.


There is jubilation all over the Muslim world and on the Arab street. The spokesman of the Islamic Republic of Iran has said that the satanic and devious designs of the Zionist regime have been thwarted and it has been brought down to its knees. Iranian government spokesperson Musa Al-Yazdani has congratulated the brave people of Quetta for their valiant struggle and sacrifices rendered on the path to glory and said that the martyrs will remain in our memories forever.

Wake up please – this fairy tale has ended! Now let me give you a whiff of reality:

Around eighty graves have been dug over the last few days, it seems like even our graveyards will run out of space soon. Tears are still rolling down the eyes of those who lost their ‘jawans’ – most must be busy preparing for the post funeral rituals, they will find it difficult to manage the finances for the Soyems, the Haftums and the Chelhums. Times are tough, inflation is brutally high and the only bread winner is lying in a freshly dug grave with a mauled and charred body. Just a thought here; will the Mullahs who lead the Al-Quds procession fund the funeral and post-funeral rituals? Or will they say that God will provide for the Shaheed’s families!

In an ironic way, it is still better for those families who have buried their dead than those who are still running to the hospitals to visit their dying son, father, brother or maybe all three for some. Running after the doctors, running after medicines, running after blood, running around to get the finances and hoping against hope that the injured will survive and if they survive they will be able to walk or still have their five senses intact; otherwise they will be a burden on the family and the society for the rest of their lives.

Well at least the dead will go straight to heaven because they are ‘Shaheeds’ and their valiant families should be a heroic example for all of us to emulate! Just a thought here; ‘Is a dead 25 year old man going to support his family better or a living and employed one?’

Oh! Don’t call them dead, they are Shaheeds as they died for a cause…
All for the ‘cause’?

I am a strong believer in ‘Sacrifices’ – the act of willingly foregoing whatever is dear to you for a greater cause. The important point to note here is that ‘the cause has to be greater’. In this particular case, the cause for which our Qawma were shepherded like sheep by the ‘holier-than-pope’ mullahs was Al-Quds!

What is Al-Quds? I can bet my next salary that most people before the blast didn’t even know what Al-Quds day was. Wikipedia tells us:

“International al-Quds Day, is an annual event on the last Friday of Ramadan expressing solidarity with the Palestinian people and opposing Zionism as well as Israel’s control of Jerusalem. Anti-Zionist demonstrations are held on this day in some Muslim and Arab countries, and by Muslim and Arab communities around the world. Participation in Quds Day rallies is focused in non-Arab Iran, where Ayatollah Khomeini first introduced the event. The Iranian government sponsors and organizes the day’s parades within Iran. In recent years, only a marginal proportion of young Iranians have attended.”

What I got out of this description was Palestinians, Arabs, Israel and Mullahs of Iran. The Al-Quds day was the brain child of Ayatollah Khomeini, introduced in the late 1980’s with the purported aim of showing solidarity with the Palestinian Arabs but in reality it is a show of force, a display of ego of the Irani Mullahcracy.

Al-Quds day protest is supposed to rally the people to raise the voice against the oppression of the Israeli occupation. May I ask:

•How does this affect the life of an ordinary Hazara family living on Alamdar Road, in Brewery, in West Kabul, Mazar or Bamiyan? Will there economic situation improve? Will they get access to education & health? Will they be treated as equals in the society? Will there lives be more secure?

•Did the Palestinians, Arabs of this world or the Iranians raise their voice when the Afshar massacre took place? Do they even know who the Hazaras are?

•Do they raise their voice when innocent Hazara lives are gunned down in the streets of Quetta for their ethnic/sectarian affiliation?

•Does the Iranian regime allow Hazara refugees living in Iran to live freely or detain them in camps which resemble prisons?

•Did the Arabs raise their voice against the brutal, genocidal massacres the Taliban carried out on the poor and helpless Hazaras?

If my memory serves me right the Arabs were actually supporting the Taliban regime of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan. The Arabs were supporting Zia-ul-Haq’s dictatorial regime when it created fascist movements like Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Sipahe Sahaba (the cancer that is eating away this society).

Misplaced emotions

We are a very emotional people and these emotions somehow become intense when we talk about Iran and the Mullahs. My request here is that we park our emotions aside and try to decipher the situation below objectively:

After Khomeini was successful with the revolution in Iran, he propagated the idea of exporting the revolution beyond the political borders of Iran and to do this Al-Quds day procession was one of the tools. Later on the Mullahcracy realized that exporting the revolution is counter-productive as other Islamic countries have become aggressive in their stance towards Iran; hence they abandoned the ideology and opted to protect the interest of Iranians only. Thanks to this radical ‘export-oriented’ thinking; Shia’s of Pakistan have been eyed with suspicion since then. They are labeled as lackeys of Iran and loyalties have been questioned. This has affected Pakistani Hazaras the most as the Saudi sponsored ‘Sunni Wall’ was erected in Balochistan to halt the spillover of the ‘Shia Wave’ originating from Iran. The Sunni wall ended up in the mushrooming of hundreds of madressahs throughout Balochistan churning out militant zombies. This radicalized the once secular population of Balochistan and as a result the entire region is mired with blood bath and we have ended up burying our brethren all because of misplaced Iranian ego.

We still bank on Mullahs to come to our rescue and save our society. Please bear in mind that there is no concept of ‘Mullah’ in our religion. We don’t require Mullahs to lead the Namaz-e-Janazah, to recite the ‘Dua-e-Nikah’ etc, we can do it ourselves. The problem is that we have outsourced religion to a bunch of illiterates because we don’t have the time to learn the dua’as. As a result, these illiterate Mullahs have become the de-facto leadership of our society. We should wake up and realize that Mullahs cannot lead our Qawma on the path to progress as their knowledge is limited, their views are myopic and they simply don’t have the intellectual depth that is required in this age of knowledge…and yet we bank on them to shepherd us to safety!

I have a 3 year old son (May Allah give him all the health, happiness & success) and every other night he lies down next to me and tells me to narrate a story to him. My stories usually revolve around a jungle where chocolates grow on trees, a flying purple elephant and rivers flowing with Strawberry milk (his favorite flavor). By the time I am about to conclude the story, my junior is in la-la land and off to sleep and most probably dreaming about riding the purple flying elephant. I cherish these times and store them as memories which will make me smile when I am old and wrinkled because I know a day will come soon when my son will be wise enough to know that there is no such thing as a flying purple elephant. I just hope that my Qawma grows wise and realize soon that there is no such thing as Mullahs that will come and remedy all the ills of our society. The only helping hands are the ones sticking at the end of our arms! Wake up

Quetta rally suicide bomb kills dozens(BBC 3rd Sep 2010)

AdvertisementThe blast was followed by firing, reports suggest

A suicide bombing has killed at least 50 people in Quetta, south-western Pakistan, police say.

Nearly 80 others were injured in the explosion at the Shia Muslim rally in the Meezan Chowk area.

Pakistani Taliban militants said they had carried out the bombing.

It was the second attack on Pakistan's Shia Muslim minority this week - bombs in Lahore on Wednesday killed dozens in an attack also claimed by the Taliban.

The bombings come at a time when Pakistan is grappling with unprecedented floods that have displaced millions of people.

Continue reading the main story

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TV pictures showed chaotic street scenes in the aftermath of Friday's explosion. Survivors fired guns in the air, said police.

Reports said several Pakistani journalists were among those injured.

Shia leader Allama Abbas Kumaili appealed for calm, telling a Pakistani TV channel: "We understand these are attempts to bring Sunni and Shia sects against each other."

Organised by the Shia Imamia Students' Organisation, the rally was one of many that take place in Pakistan each year on the last Friday of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to support the Palestinian demand for a homeland.

Shia Muslims make up an estimated one in five of Pakistan's Sunni-dominated population of 160 million.

The attack comes two days after bomb attacks on a Shia procession in Lahore killed 31 people on Wednesday. At least two of the attacks were suicide bombings, police said.

The Pakistani Taliban said they had carried out the blasts in revenge for the killing of a Sunni leader last year.

Earlier on Friday, in another attack on religious minorities in north-west Pakistan, a suicide bomber killed one person outside a mosque of the Ahmadi sect.

Members of the community have often been the victims of sectarian attacks.

While the Ahmadis consider themselves Muslim and follow all Islamic rituals, they were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan in 1973.

A complete shutterdown strike in Quetta

QUETTA – A complete shutterdown was observed in the provincial capital on Saturday, amid the burial of the victims, to mourn the loss of 65 innocent lives in Friday’s suicide bombing in a rally organised by Imamia Students Organisation (ISO) in connection with Youm-e-Quds.


Most of the markets and business centres at Jinnah Road, Sharah-e-Iqbal, Liaquat Bazaar, Prince Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Marriabad and Hazara Town remained closed.

Balochistan Shia Council (BSC) gave the strike call, which was supported by all political parties and the business community to express their solidarity with the survivors of the victims.

Very thin traffic was witnessed on the roads while the govt had announced holiday in all educational institutions in wake of tense situation in the city.

Administration had taken strike security measures as police backed by personnel of Frontier Corps, Balochistan Constabulary and Anti Terrorist Force were deployed in all sensitive areas. The mobile squads of the security forces continued patrolling different roads till evening to avoid any unpleasant situation. However, no untoward incident was reported from any part of the city.

Meanwhile, moving scenes were witnessed when suicide blast victims were brought to Hazara Graveyard where 45 victims were laid to rest. Thousands of people attended their funeral prayers.

Sources said the death toll had jumped from 59 to 65 overnight after some critically wounded people died in the hospitals.

They said 13 suspected persons were being interrogated after they had been arrested from different parts of Quetta in connection with the Friday’s tragic incident.

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Balochistan Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani directed to form a judicial tribunal, comprising judges from Balochistan High court, to conduct an inquiry into the suicide attack. He also ordered setting up a ministerial commission, headed by Home Minister Mir Zafarullah Zehri. The commission would also include provincial ministers Jan Ali Chungazi and Ainullah Shams while Secretary Interior Akbar Hussain Durrani would be the secretary of the commission.

The commission would work to take review of city’s situation in the perspective of terror attacks and to gain consensus amongst people belonging to different sects. It would also review motives behind terror attacks besides formulating recommendations to stop the heinous activities.

Attack on Hazara Ralley(Express News Papaer)

Quetta shuts down to mourn blast victims

* Shops, business centres, educational institutes remain closed

* Death toll from Al-Quds rally blast rises to 68
By Mohammad Zafar

QUETTA: A complete shutter-down strike was observed in Quetta on Saturday to protest against the suicide bombing on the Al-Quds Day procession on Friday, which killed around 60 people and injured 185.

All the commercial districts of the provincial capital bore a deserted look, as most of the shops, business and shopping centres and educational institutions of the city remained closed due to a general strike call. Shops and vegetable markets located at Liaqat Bazaar, Meezan Chowk, McChangay Road, Alamdar Road, Abdul Sattar Road, Hazara Town and other areas remained closed. No business activity had been recorded during the day but shopkeepers opened their shops one hour before Iftar and started their usual business.

Traffic and public transport remained normal throughout the day. Security remained on high alert during the day whereas heavy contingents of police and FC had been deployed to deal with any untoward incident. Patrolling teams of police and FC remained on high alert to ensure law and order in the provincial metropolis.

The funeral prayers of 29 people killed in the suicide bombing were held at the Hazara graveyard where they were buried afterwards. Different Shia organisations had arranged walkthrough gates and metal detectors at the two entry gates of the Hazara graveyard for security purposes.

According to the Balochistan Shia Conference, 57 people were buried in the Hazara graveyard, six bodies had been sent to Dera Allah Yar, four bodies to Afghanistan and two bodies to Chalgari.

The relatives of the victims claimed that a majority of the people had been killed due to the firing, which had taken place after the suicide bombing while only 12 to 15 people had died due to the bombing. They blasted religious clerics for leading the procession when the suicide bombing had occurred.

A case had been registered in the city police station on Saturday under the anti-terrorism act against the suicide bomber. Police had arrested 12 suspects from different parts of Quetta to interrogate them for their alleged involvement in the attacks. Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani had ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident and had constituted a ministerial committee headed by Balochistan Home Minister Mir Zafarullah Zehri to probe into the matter. The Shia community urged Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry to take suo motu notice of the bombing. The Balochistan government had also imposed a ban on organising rallies and religious processions following the deadly attack.

Separately, the death toll of the suicide bombing rose to 68 on Saturday, as more injured of the attack succumbed to their injuries. Addressing a news conference, representative of Balochistan’s Shia community, Haji Abdul Qayyum Changhazi said that 60 people had been killed in the firing, which took place after the suicide bombing. “The FC personnel and other armed men opened indiscriminate fire on the procession and the firing continued for one and a half hour. Police was also involved in the firing,” he alleged adding that the Quetta CCPO, who had been made an OSD now, had granted the permission to held the demonstration at the Meezan Chowk.

حمله انتحاری بر راهپیمایان روز قدس در کویته

امروز جمعه ۳.۹.۲۰۱۰میلادی، در اثر یک حمله انتحاری بر راهپیمایان روز قدس در کویته به گفته شبکه های تلویزیون خصوصی پاکستان و ملک اقبال آی جی پولیس بلوچستان، بیشتر از 54 نفر تا هنوز شهید و زیادتر از ۱۰۰ تن دیگر زخمی شده اند... راهپیمایی روز قدس در کویته امسال توسط "ای ایس او" و دیگر نهای های اهل تشییع همچون سالهای گذشته راه اندازی شده بود. زمانیکه این راهپیمایی در مرکز شهر کویته "میزان چوک" رسید، انتحار کننده، که معلوم نیست، چگونه داخل راهپیمایی شده بود، خودش را انفجار داده و در نتیجه سبب کشته شدن تعدادی شد و بعد از آن فیر های شدید آغاز گشت، که تا هنوز جان بیشتر از پنجاه و چهار تن را گرفته است. قابل یاد آوریست، که به علاوه شرکت کنندگان در راهپیمایی روز قدس، عده از نمایندگان و فیملبرداران شبکه های تلویزیونی مختلف نیز شامل زخمی شده گان می باشند.

زخمی های این حادثه و شهدا به شفاخانه عمومی شهر و شفاخانه نظامی سی ایم ایچ انتقال داده شده است و گفته می شود، که وضعیت صحی بعضی از زخمی ها نیز بسیار زیاد وخیم می باشد. در شفاخانه ها وضعیت اضطراری اعلام شده است و از داکتران و مسوولین شفاخانه ها تقاضا شده است، که رخصتی شانرا نیز به کمک زخمی شده ها برسند.

به گفته شاهدان عینی و راه پیمایان این عمل به خاطر کوتاهی و سهل انگاری پولیس صورت گرفته است. پولیس در موقع حادثه و بعد از حادثه و تا حتی تا هنوز در صحنه حضور خاطر خواه ندارد. از طرف دیگر پولیس مدعی است، که قبلا از طرف وزیر داخله کشور آقای رحمان ملک اعلام شده بود، که به خاطر نابسامانی وضعیت امنیتی، برای مدتی علما همکاری نموده و جلسات شانرا در مراکز شهر راه نیدازند، که شاهد کدام حادثه ناگوار نباشیم، ولی این هشدار و هشدار های دیگر روسای پولیس نادیده گرفته شد، تا اینکه امروز شاهد این حادثه تلخ و شهادت عده زیادی از راهپیمان هستیم.

در حالیکه آقای گیلانی نخست وزیر پاکستان این عمل را شدیدا محکوم نموده و حکم تشکیل کمسیون مخصوصی را برای بررسی این حادثه داده است، ولی برای فعلا وضعیت شهر کویته بیش از حد متشنج است. و مظاهرین خشمگین در داخل شهر اند و بر ضد این عمل زشت و ناجوانمردانه تروریستان و کوتاهی حکومت شعارهای تند سر می دهند. از طرف دیگر علامه کمیلی، یکی از علمای اهل تشییع این جنگ را جنگ شیعه و سنی نه می داند. وی بروز این حوادث را ناکامی سازمانهای مخفی و حکومت وقت می داند. همچنان مفتی نعیم، یکی از علمای برجسته اهل تسنن، این عمل را در ضمن تقبیح نمودن، آنرا دسیسه ای برای راه اندازی جنگ میان اهل تشییع و اهل تسنن پاکستان دانسته است و همچنان خواهان راه اندازی یک تظاهرات مشترک از طرف تمام مکاتب فکری بر ضد این عمل زشت و کشتار هدفمند مردم شده است.