‘Hazara Democratic Party wants targeted operation, not governor’s rule’
The Pakistani state has done little to protect the Hazaras. As I said, some institutions of the state are involved in supporting the organizations that carry out these attacks. There are individuals within the police and FC, for example, who still have sympathy for extremist groups
We recently interviewed Mr. Abdul Khaliq Hazara, leader of the Hazara Democratic Party to understand the grievances of the Hazara community in the wake of brutal sectarian attacks it faced earlier this year. We also discussed the hopes and expectations of the community from the upcoming general elections in Pakistan. The interviewers are affiliated with the student-led organization, Pakistan Development Fund. PDF is dedicated to fighting for the marginalized communities of Pakistan and within the Pakistani diaspora. The interview was conducted in Urdu and subsequently translated.
Q. Please introduce the Hazara Democratic Party? What do you stand for and what are some of your activities?
AKH: The Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) was formed in 2003, as the political voice of the Hazara community in Pakistan. We are committed to the ideals of democracy, and dedicated to promoting religious tolerance, national unity, anti-sectarianism and anti-extremism in Pakistan.
Q. Who are the Hazaras?
AKH: Hazaras are an ethnic community. We began migrating to Pakistan in the late 1800s when Abdul Rehman, the dictatorial ruler of Afghanistan started an ethnic genocide against us. The majority of Hazaras identify with the Shia Isna Asheri faith, although some members also come from Sunni and/or Ismaili backgrounds. The community has spread across Pakistan, particularly localized in Quetta, Turbat and the Northern areas. The Hazaras are a peace loving people. We believe in democracy and consider ourselves citizens of Pakistan but even then we are targeted by religious extremist organizations. We are also facing harsh discrimination at other levels. Many of our PhD graduates fail to get employed and are forced into menial jobs. Further, we have been confined into small neighbourhoods within Quetta due to threats to our lives.
Q. Why is the Hazara community being targeted in Pakistan? Is it because they are predominantly Shia Muslims who face violence across Pakistan from sectarian groups?
AKH: Over a thousand Hazaras have been killed in the recent past and this year we have already lost 250 members in two bomb attacks. These attacks are a result of proxy wars being played out in Balochistan. After the Shia Islamic revolution in Iran in 1979, countries like Saudi Arabia (predominantly Sunni) felt threatened that the revolution will spread to neighbouring Pakistan. So they created and funded religious extremist groups throughout the 1980s to contain the revolution. The Pakistani state also supported these organizations. Hazaras were considered allied to Iran so we came under attack. This is how the proxy war proceeded. However, we have always maintained that we are not involved in supporting Iran. We consider ourselves citizens of the Pakistani state. We have Pakistani ID cards and Pakistani passports and use Pakistani currency. Unfortunately, the policies of supporting extremist organizations are still being continued by elements in the Pakistani state. The extremist groups who attack the Hazara continue to receive state support.
Because of this violence, many Hazaras have been forced to escape from Pakistan as refugees to save their lives. They are forced to escape on boats to countries like Australia. But these boats are dangerous on the open ocean and often packed over capacity, due to which they sometimes capsize and drown. Since the attacks this year, over 180 Hazaras on two boats have drowned, trying to migrate to Australia.
It's true that the Hazara community is predominantly Shia. But, I believe that is not the only reason we are being targeted. Most of the leaders of sectarian extremist organisations, such as Lashkare Jhangvi, are located in Punjab, but the attacks on the Shia Hazara community in Quetta are disproportionately higher. This leads us to believe that the Hazara community is caught in the dangerous global proxy war being played out in Balochistan and supported by some institutions of the Pakistani state.
Q. This is a very grave situation, Abdul Khaliq Sahab. Do you think these attacks could have been prevented? What has the Pakistani state done to prevent these attacks or punish those responsible?
AKH: The Pakistani state has done little to protect the Hazaras. As I said, some institutions of the state are involved in supporting the organizations that carry out these attacks. There are individuals within the police and FC, for example, who still have sympathy for extremist groups. FC personnel were present at the checkpoints when over 1000kg of explosives were transported into Quetta's Hazara neighbourhoods for the bomb attack in January 2013. The FC was given police powers in Balochistan after the January attacks but still another attack took place the following month. Meanwhile, no one involved in these attacks has yet been punished. Protecting the Hazara community and improving the worsening security situation in Balochistan is just not a priority of the Pakistani state. I have met high officials in the government, including President Zardari when he visited Quetta, and I conveyed to them that the safety and security of the Hazara community did not seem to be a priority on their agenda.
Q. What were some of your demands from the Pakistani government in the wake of these attacks?
AKH: The HDP has always asked for a targeted operation by state institutions against extremist groups in Balochistan. After the attacks this year, some community members who had lost loved ones called for governor rule to be imposed in Quetta out of grief and frustration. However, HDP has never demanded governor rule because we feel the roots of this problem are much deeper than the provincial government of Balochistan. The violence against Hazara stems from the support of the state and merely removing the government in Balochistan would never solve the crisis. We have asked for a targeted operation, after which the sectarian groups and perpetrators of violence should be punished under due process of law.
Our second demand is the scrutiny of all state institutions, such as the police and FC, to free them of individuals who support extremism and religious militancy. We blame all institutions of the state for failing to treat the security of the Hazara community as a priority. However, we still believe in the democratic process.
Q. Have there been efforts to provide help or relief to the Hazara community, either from the government or the international community?
AKH: The government has made some efforts but they have fallen severely short of the mark. The Hazara community abroad has made similar efforts for rehabilitation. However, these efforts are not organized, well-coordinated or planned so they have not been very effective.
The HDP is currently the only political voice of the Hazara community. We have tried to unite the Hazaras. We have conducted protests outside the Governor's house and the Parliament. A large group of women attended our protests and broke their bangles outside the Parliament as a sign of protest. We have also taken up the issue nationally and internationally to apply pressure on the Pakistani government. We called for religious tolerance and the resolution of conflict democratically. In fact, a number of mohajirs (migrants) from Afghanistan were also victims of the recent attacks in Quetta and the government refused to help them because they were not citizens of Pakistan. It was HDP's stance that these individuals must also be helped since they were within Pakistan when they became a target of violence. So the HDP is a voice not just for Hazara people, but others suffering in Balochistan too.
Q. Has the Hazara community mobilized after these attacks to protect itself?
AKH: We believe that a community should only take up arms in situations of anarchy, in the absence of governance and political infrastructure. That is the only situation. Fortunately, Pakistan still has a government with a mandate to protect its people. There is no civil war in this country. Therefore, we have always urged the Hazara community to remain peaceful and pursue democratic means to express themselves and obtain their rights. Democracy is the only option available to us.
Q. There is a lot of focus on Balochistan in the media and judiciary with regards to conducting free and fair elections. Many nationalist parties are contesting the elections from Balochistan. Do you think this is a positive development for the Hazara community and would it improve the situation?
AKH: It is very heartening to see Baloch parties contesting the elections. This is indeed a positive development. As I said, we firmly believe in democracy and democratic procedures. Once democracy takes root in the province, it will give the Baloch a greater stake in the Pakistani state and will lead towards greater peace and stability in Balochistan itself. We are very glad that democratic parties are not boycotting these elections. We have been in talks with Akhtar Mengal and have also got assurances from other democratic forces. These developments give us great hope.
Q: The attacks this year and the ensuing protests of the Hazara community generated great sympathy and support across the world. Large protests and sit-ins were conducted across Pakistan and major cities worldwide in solidarity with the Hazaras. Do you have a message for these people and can you suggest a few ways they could further help your cause?
AKH: We deeply thank all those who showed solidarity with us. The Hazara community is dispersed all over the world. We urge them to realize their privilege and not to forget their relatives suffering in Pakistan. They should use social media and other outlets available to them to raise awareness and establish links with the community here.
We need to promote respect and tolerance of religious and ethnic diversity across Pakistan, particularly in Quetta. Quetta used to be a beautiful city that was considered to be the London and Paris of Pakistan but it has lost that status amid the current violence. We need to restore Quetta's vibrancy and beauty. And finally, we need to show solidarity not just with the Hazara, but oppressed people everywhere.