Quetta, April 14: In a tragic incident in Quetta, Pakistan’s Balochistan province, at least two members of the Hazara community were shot dead, while three others sustained injuries. Local media reports indicate that unidentified assailants opened fire on the victims.
Senior police officer Muhammad Khair Sumlani stated that the attack occurred on Sunday as the victims were returning from the Hazaratown to the Hazarganji vegetable market. According to the Pakistani newspaper ‘Dawn’, Sumlani mentioned, “Armed individuals on motorcycles fired upon their vehicle, resulting in the immediate deaths of two individuals and injuries to three others.”
The police officer noted that the incident appears to be a case of targeted killing. Upon receiving news of the attack, police and security forces quickly arrived at the scene.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack. The police are conducting a search operation to apprehend the assailants.
In protest of the incident, members of the Hazara community blocked the Western Bypass. Similar attacks have occurred in the Hazarganji area before, where vendors have been targeted.
According to ‘Dawn’, a bombing in the Hazarganji market in 2019 specifically targeted the Hazara community, resulting in the deaths of at least 20 people and injuries to 48 others.
A report from the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) indicated that between January 2012 and December 2017, 509 members of the Hazara community were killed and 627 injured in Quetta.
A recent report highlighted a rise in Sunni extremism in Pakistan under the leadership of Army Chief Asim Munir, leading to increased violence against religious minorities such as Ahmadis and Shia Muslims, who are often denied justice.
The report noted that the two major Muslim minority communities in Pakistan, Shia (particularly Hazara Shia) and Ahmadis, have faced a surge in violence and attacks in recent years. In November 2024, an attack on a convoy in Kurram district resulted in the deaths of over 40 Shia pilgrims. Radical mobs have also attacked Ahmadi places of worship in Punjab and Sindh, resulting in brutal assaults.
Human rights organizations assert that these incidents are not isolated but rather part of an organized sectarian attack. The report also mentioned a recent suicide bombing by the Islamic State of Pakistan at a Shia mosque in Islamabad, which killed 32 individuals.
Amnesty International has stated that the Pakistani government has failed to protect the Hazara Shia community from repeated attacks.
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