Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday asserted that he will not be “blackmailed” by members of the Hazara community, who have been demanding that he visit them in Quetta in Balochistan before they bury the 10 colliers massacred by terrorists last week.
According to reports, the miners were apprehended by gunmen at a coal mine near the town of Machh, and once they were identified as ethnic Hazara, they were executed. The Shia minority community has long been persecuted for its faith, facing targeted attacks and bombings that have killed thousands over the last twenty years. The Islamic State (IS) took responsibility for the latest assault, posting a picture of two armed men standing over three bodies lying face down to the ground, with an ISIL flag hanging in the background.
Heavy protests have erupted in the region since then, with the kin of the victims refusing to bury the dead until the government meets their demands for safety, protection, and justice.
“For 22 years, [our demands] are the same: that our killers are arrested, that their facilitators are arrested and those who lead them be arrested. It is not so difficult to understand this,” said Saeed Muhammad Raza, a local leader of the Shia Muslim Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) political party. Protesters have demanded that the perpetrators be brought to justice and that the government form an independent commission to investigate the relentless attacks against the community. They have also asked the Prime Minister to visit them in person and guarantee that the violence would end.
However, this ask has been met with contention, with the Prime Minister urging the bereaved community to not make burials conditional to his visit. “I have sent them a message that look, when all of your demands have been met, then to demand that we will not bury the dead until the prime minister comes, no country’s prime minister can be blackmailed like this,” Khan said on Friday while speaking at the launch of the Special Technology Zones Authority in Islamabad.
He further stated that such a move could set a dangerous precedent, which could then open the doors for any group to coerce the country’s leadership. “This should be clear. All of your demands have been met but you can’t impose a condition which has [no logic]. So, first, bury the dead. If you do it today, then I guarantee you that I will come to Quetta today.” Khan also at one point suggested that India was involved in spreading “chaos” in Pakistan, but provided no additional details or evidence to back his claims.
Hundreds of Hazara community members, including women and children, have been rallying on the Western Bypass in Quetta, braving freezing temperatures for the past six days. Despite the PM’s appeals, however, the demonstrators have vowed to continue their protests for 100 days if Khan does not accept their key demand. “Our demand is that if you arrest the killers then we will, God willing, bury the bodies. But until the killers are apprehended, we will sit here in protest,” Abdul Manan told Al Jazeera after he lost five family members in the attack.
The demonstrators have also held numerous talks with Cabinet officials, including Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, but to no avail. “We will continue to sit here until he comes. That insensitive man has no feelings for us, but we have no problem with sitting with our loved ones in the cold. We have the determination to sit here for weeks,” Amna Bidi told The Tribune.
Media reports later in the day suggested that Khan and Rasheed were preparing to leave for Quetta soon due to the escalating situation, however, no official details have been released yet.
Imran Khan Says He Won’t be “Blackmailed” by Machh Attack Victims’ Families
Protesters have asked the Prime Minister to visit them in person and guarantee that the violence would end.
January 9, 2021
Pakistan PM Imran Khan SOURCE: SKY NEWS