An open letter to Ban Ki Moon
Does the brutal massacre of the Hazara folk in Pakistan not fall within the premise of genocide? PHOTO: FILE
Mr Ban Ki Moon,
Secretary General,
The United Nations.
January 16, 2013.
Your Excellency,
I am not Hazara – my gene pool is not affiliated with the descendants of the great Mongol Genghis Khan, who now inhabit Quetta. But I am writing this to inform you of a pressing issue that has shaken the international community as protests erupt worldwide regarding Jan 10, 2013 bomb blasts on Alamdar Road.
Since the past decade, over 1100 Hazaras have fallen prey to attacks of ethnic cleansing carried out by radical militants claiming to eradicate all those who do not adhere to their brand of Islam.
In September 2011, over 20 Hazara passengers were taken off a bus near Mastung District, made to stand to stand in a line and were executed in front of their wives.
In June 2012, 14 people including a woman were killed in a suicide attack on a bus carrying Hazara pilgrims returning from Iran.
In November 2012, an SMS was in circulation in Quetta calling for information in case any Hazara was spotted in the provincial capital. As a result, Hazara folk confined themselves to ghettos andstudents stopped attending University.
On January 10, 2013, 86 Hazara youth were massacred following the explosion of two bombs on Quetta’s Alamdar Road.
According to the Human Rights Watch – which has also documented the massacre of thousands of Shiite by Taliban forces over the years – Mullah Manan Niazi, the Taliban governor of Mazar-e-Sharif, issued a Fatwa (Law) stating:
‘Shia Hazaras are not Muslim. Killing them is not a sin.’
And in effect, provisioned rampant attacks upon the Hazaras. The banned organization, Lashkar e Jhangvi, also circulated an open letter in 2011 addressed to Hazaras in Quetta reading:
“All Hazara are worthy of killing. We will rid Pakistan of unclean people….”
For a Hazara in Pakistan, stepping out of the house to buy groceries is equivalent to placing one’s life in jeopardy.
I ask you, Mr Moon, does the brutal massacre of the Hazara folk in Pakistan not fall within the premise of genocide stated in the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide?
The Convention deems the intent to destroy a national, ethnical, racial or religious group as genocide and holds punishable under international law, the act of genocide; conspiracy to commit genocide; direct and public incitement to commit genocide; attempt to commit genocide and complicity in genocide.
Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan states that all citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection.
Allow me to enlighten you with the following facts:
1. The Government of Pakistan has failed to adhere to its responsibility of protecting its citizens from attack.
2. When 86 Hazara youth were brutally massacred on Jan 10, 2013, the Chief Minister of Balochistan province was vacationing in the Middle East; the President and Prime Minster refused to comment for several hours while the Hazaras with their dead bodies carried a sit in protest for four days.
3. The British House of Commons held a conference on Hazara Genocide in November 2012 in which Members of Parliament announced the formation of an All Parties Parliamentary Group (APPG) to:
“Address the issues faced by Hazaras in Pakistan and to bring an end to the persecution and racial discrimination carried out against Hazaras.”
The MPs said the government of Pakistan have failed in its duty to protect its people, moving on to state that Hazara professionals were leaving the city as they were under attack.
In light of the above mentioned facts, the Government of Pakistan is not only defying its own Constitution, but is also defying International Law.
As a Pakistani, I am appalled upon realising that in order to seek justice; the oppressed must turn towards foreign help and protest, and cannot rely on the mechanisms of justice installed by the our government.
But British Parliamentary Groups cannot help eradicate the radical militants that have infiltrated into Pakistani society, targeting the innocent Hazara minority whose distinct Mongloid appearance makes it impossible for them to hide.
The massacre of 86 Hazara right at the start of the new year foreshadows an ominous, deadly year for this subjugated community and for those belonging to the Shiite sect.
And thus, I turn to you Mr Moon, with a desperate plea for help with hope that the United Nations will stand to defend humanity in times of strife.
My plea is representative of the wishes of the civilian population of Pakistan – from Lahore to Quetta to Karachi and to Hyderabad – that had taken to the streets in protest of the injustice faced by Hazara folk, calling for an end to genocide and oppression.
I thank you for your time and attention.
Yours Sincerely,
A concerned citizen
Read more by Zainab here or follow her on Twitter @zainab_aqdas
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of The Express Tribune.
What a country. Here we are crying out for Gaza, but we remain silent on the killing of our Pakistani brothers and sisters. Who knows how many children might have been orphaned, how many husbands/fathers, how many wifes/mothers and children/infants had thier lives cut short after the attack. All it took was the gang rape of a single woman in India to unite the masses. But here in Pakistan, not enough attention is being given to the slaughter of so many innocent people.Recommend
Very Nice Zainab…
I want to add more here that, Yes this is totally Genocide of Shia’s in Pakistan , particularly the Genocide of Shia Hazara in Quetta…
The enemy of Pakistan and enemy of Islam is openly Killing Shia’s of Pakistan in the street of Pakistan from Karachi to Quetta to Parachinar to DI khan to Rawalpindi to Gilgit to Baltistan….
But unfortunately Gov of Pakistan, Political Parties, Religious parties, Pakistani security forces Army, FC, Agenctes ISI, IB, MI, FIA etc are dump and deaf…..every one silent on the brutally killing of Shia’s of Pakistan particularly Shia Hazara in Pakistan in the hand of Lashkar e Jhangvi, Sipah e Yazeed, Taliban funded by some Arab countries…..
Since last 25 years Shias of pakistan are killing but not a single culprit hanged by the Pakistani Govt…Recommend
in a country where 41% of Sunni sect don’t label Shias as Muslims even, these things will happen. I don’t wanna say this but things will get very very messy in coming days. After the Afghan adventure, everything was destroyed, Peace, tolerance, Unity, Respect. You won’t find these virtues in our society these days.Recommend
After 68 hrs of Dherna Govt. took action otherwise they would not take any action.imagine 86 death bodies with their families in cold and rainy weather…r v human?? salute to their families and the whole community as they taught us the most peaceful protest without breaking a single thing.Recommend
imagine 86 dead bodies with families and the whole community for 68 hrs in cold n rainy weather without breaking a single thing…salute to all of them that taught all pakistani how to do protest…no doubt this is Genocide.Recommend
Grow up………………………you should write to the SC to make public the inquiry reports on the real sponsors of terror…………………Ban Ki Moon……………….its not Gangnam that we need them to sort it out……………………..Recommend
Zainab, excellent. Why don’t you please send this letter to CNN, BBC and Al-Jazeera so that this can become known to them too. I don’t think this letter will be read by BKM here on Tribune. So we need to spread it so that everyone can read. We are so sick and tired of this mess seriously. Thanks for your initiative. May Allah bless you and all citizens of Pakistan.Recommend
Excellent effort.Recommend
Well-written Zainab, excellent! How will you make sure that Ban Ki Moon reads it?Recommend
Shouldn’t there be mention of Kashmir, Gaza, Mynamar, Gujrat as well. After all those are the issue which really matter and should be taken up with UN.Recommend
very nice work , UNO should take the matter serious as media reports revealed the involvement of Pakistan army and financial Aid from a country for genocide of shia is alarming situation for the whole humanity, the timely pressure from UNO can save many livesRecommend
Why invite UN to interfere in issues which are internal to Pakistan. Better pick the electoral list and send the letter to every voter.Recommend
Matters such as Kashmir and Myanmar have already been brought up to the UN. This is genocide in our own backyard which we are igoring.Recommend
Why an open letter to Ban Ki Mon?? Why not to God?? Why not to urself? Are we given hands to just blame Person A or person B?Recommend
haah voter who cant protect his basic needs what he can do,for others, Pakistan is a security country where people views has no values where are YOU living Mr Rashid, where to go when protectors turned and joined hands with killers????? these are media reports i am not making my views READ and imagine but one thing brother be realistic and true in feelings think bing in others shoes? than u will understand the plights of those who are appealing for external forces ?? why you visit police station when u have problem in family there is always a lawfull course for law abiding human beingsRecommend
Please stop this Hazara thing. You guys are getting on our nerves. It’s not just Hazaras who suffer, the entire nation is doomed be that in Bara, Swabi or Quetta.Recommend
Well written Zainab!Recommend
The other day, I was going through an article claiming people except west can’t think. I t was published in Al-Jazera. This article was an epic example of that proposition. First the Mr Ban is being called to look into Islamic Schisms, then the article is an assertion that the debacle was not a humanitarian crisis. Further the topic is a criticism for the sake of criticism. Whole Pakistan suffers but they, specifically are being given such a great attention as if it never happened ever before. Its not about asking Mr Ban to lend us a helping hand to educate these extremists and stop rest of the illiterate plunge into ignorance. This article is calling other nations to attack pakistan to save hazaras. We cant think of solutions and thus beat about the bush with different colors every time. We make devdas, remake and remake.Recommend
@ Zainab….mr B K M seems “busy” in pursuing for HUMAN RIGHTS in KASHMIR, PALESTINE, AFGHANISTAN, SOUTH WAZIRISTAN (against drones), SYRIA and so on…please write to some one else….Recommend
@kHaN:
Mr Khan their is a big difference in Hazarhs’ and other hazrahs are oppressed people who always targeted on basis of faith while in other parts people are part of such incidents why not u stop in a single community swat? be realistic and open mind Dear well educated people must be prejudice free think globallyRecommend
@ali: “This article is calling other nations to attack pakistan to save hazaras.”
Please indicate where the author has called “other nations to attack Pakistan to save hazaras.”Recommend
@abbasi:
A usually vigilant SC that took notice of everything left-right, showed unusual apathy on religious sectarian extremist cases, except on releasing such militants back into society again. Some suspect the courts either fears or sympathies with them. Even Imran Khan addressing a G-B crowd suffering sectarian attacks questioned why the SC did not take notice.
A foreign official in Ban Ki Moon took note of the bus massacres of Shia passengers in Pak earlier, when Pakistanis and Pak media were more into Maya Khan and Burma than their own Hazara Shia Pakistani citizens’ being slaughtered. A Gangnam UN seems more responsive, productive and humanely compassionate than this sorry state.Recommend
@kHaN:
Why be hating? Why impatience against the minority’s pleas? While true everyone is suffering, its also true that minority communities are suffering more disproportionately than the majority. Its unfortunate there’s a lack of compassion or recognition of the dire situation and more resentment against them because they are actively trying to get more attention after all the insane deaths that the rest of Pak’s communities failed to address with their passiveness.Recommend
@ali:
I read that article. It was good despite some criticisms, but a different topic as you misapply it with indifference. This is appealing to the UN, a global organization that Pak is a member of. Its this attitude that looks at violence as if its a ‘normal thing’ that’s ‘happened before’ that fails to tackle issues seriously. Its a humanitarian crisis and a dominance of certain Islamist ideological groups, which should be scrutinized. Solutions have been offered to Pakistanis to implement and many are simply not doing it. Its like waiting on Nazis for reforms, though this letter falls short of military intervention as you wrongly allege. Minority communities are being wiped out and have a right to appeal for help, because apparently they are not getting it from their fellow countrymen.Recommend
Treachery against the state writhing a letter to one who’s a stooge and lacky in the hands of US and Western powers. Your article is nothing more than a melodrama. Person who doesn’t have any importance and doesn’t have any legal powers to do anything. And if you really concerned about this hazara killing where were you when Drones killed innocent children and infants in Bajaur 90 in a single strike. Why didn’t you write a letter to that helpless and pathetic person who’s nothing but an American tout. Your history is really weak need to read about what they have been doing to Muslims and what about Genocide in Burma why didn’t you write a letter to Mr Moon. If you are really concerned citizen of Pakistan you should fight your own war against these odds rather than hiding behind these infidel and pathetic people. Absolute waste of time……Recommend
@Alz:
Enough of this ideological bigoted hypocrisy and paranoid xenophobic hate. You know who else doesn’t have importance or legal powers to do anything? Drone victims. Do you chase and chastise them when they make pleas to the ‘infidel’ BBC or Amnesty International? Why don’t you raise a voice for the drone victims by writing an open article for them, that many other writers on ET have done, instead of putting down those who are rightfully taking up one of many numerous causes in Pakistan? Or is this really about you not condemning such attacks against Hazaras? Why don’t you talk about Taliban? Kashmir? Syria? Bahrain? Uyghurs in China? Why don’t you fill in the blank excuse! It was the Western media, their charity organizations and Ban Ki Moon at the UN who raised concerns on the Rohingyas in Burma, which the OIC and South Asian nations failed to do. How contradictory is your recommendation to be a concerned citizen of Pak to forget about the Hazaras plight and instead write on the Burmese. If there is a betrayal or treason, it is by the apathetic and twisted mindsets of the majority of Pakistanis who fester in hate and resentment against others and the outside world, rather than addressing each of these problems. Its like if a Yemeni appealed for help for starving Yemenis to the UN, he’ll get criticized for not doing something about drones or on Palestine! Ridiculous…Recommend
No one will ever intervene when a muslim kills a muslim. The reason is that you people have to first decide who exactly is a muslim. We have seen muslims kill muslims at so many places. Has anyone intervened.Recommend
Ban ki moon is exactly that.Recommend
There is no religious extremism in Pakistan. This is out and out USA financed terrorism trying to break up Pakistan. It is of the same nature as trying to break up or destroy Syria. And there are willing traitors in Pak government and out side the establishment.Being a Pakistani, I don’t feel that you are giving enough coverage to the Pakistan’s National Issue i.e. the current Sit-In going all over Pakistan including USA/UK/Australia/Spain/Oslo/Denmark.The relatives of 86 maryrds have denied to bury their martyrs and are Sitting on Road from last 3 days with unburried bodies under -3 degree temperature. The Protest is going all over Pakistan. Please give it a through coverage to spread the voice of Oppressed, just like you do for Paliestine, Syria and Lebonan. Pakistani Media is basically trying to supress the voice of OpressedThank you.Recommend