Target killing of innocent people
Target killing of innocent people
Editorial
Editorial

Yet there is another incident of target killing of innocent people by armed terrorists in Quetta in which five people lost their lives, including three Hazara tribesmen.

Yet there is another incident of target killing of innocent people by armed terrorists in Quetta in which five people lost their lives, including three Hazara tribesmen.

The incident took place on Kasi Road of Quetta as the terrorists on bikes ambushed a van taking the vegetable sellers to the vegetable market in the outskirts of Quetta in the early hours of the day. They opened fire on the passing vehicle from a close range and tried to ensure that all the inmates are killed on the spot.

Among those killed included driver of the van and a passerby who was also hit in indiscriminate firing and died on the spot. No criminal gang of terrorists had so far taken the responsibility of killing the innocent people. However, it is generally believed that they belonged to sectarian terrorists who, off and on, target the Hazara tribesmen and kill them on sectarian ground.

It started some two decades ago and the Hazara people claimed that more than 2000 tribesmen were killed in terrorist attacks. Most of the cases were reported regularly from Quetta city centre while some major attacks were carried on the Shia Zaireen on their way to Iranian shrines or on their return.

In some of the cases, entire bus with passengers was blown up killing score of people. The most serious incidents took place at Daftan border or on the RCD Highway between Quetta and Naushki. The investigators failed to arrest any of the culprits to this date.

The cases remained unknown and the Government made no serious efforts to unearth the gang of sectarian terrorists and eliminate them once for all. On the contrary, the police officers who made sincerely efforts to locate, unearth and arrest the sectarian terrorists came under attack.

A score of highly responsible police officer were targeted and killed in cold blood and some other came under suicide attacks even in their house located in the maximum security zone. In this case, the criminals used a car bomb to blow up the residence of very senior police officer along with his entire family residing in the Police Line residential quarters.

There was a strong reaction from the family members of deceased people who staged a protest and refused to bury their dead. On this, the Provincial Home Minister rushed to the spot and held talks with the heirs of the deceased people and assured them of action against the culprits bring them to justice.

On Minister’s assurance, the Hazara people ended their protest. However, there was a strong reaction from the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) and came out with a statement condemning the killing of innocent Hazara people. It is not proper on the part of the rulers of the day to claim that calm and peace had been restored in streets and localities when five innocent people were targeted and gunned down.

The lives of people and their property are not safe even in this seat of Provincial Capital and still the provincial rulers are making talk claim about restoring peace and order all over Balochistan. The statement said that the life and property of the innocent citizens are not safe.

It claimed that it was the fifth major terrorist attack on the Hazara community during the five months period. In a way, a terrorist attack is carried out against the Hazara Community every month.

It is also a serious cause of concern among the local people that the sectarian terrorists are enjoying freedom of action to kill people and they are not visibly chased and busted. It amounts to appeasing the terrorists by not taking serious action against them.