QUETTA, March 4: Thirty-three victims of Tuesday's terrorist attack were buried in the Hazara graveyard on Thursday after the community softened their conditions set for performing the last rites fearing that the bodies would be decomposed if the burial was delayed further.
Two other victims were buried separately in the graveyard of Hazara Town on Brewery Road. Talking to newsmen at the Hazara graveyard, Allama Yaqoob Ali Tawasli, a leader of Imam Jumma Organization, alleged that 32 people were killed in firing by the personnel of the Anti-Terrorist Force, Frontier Corps, and police, and added that only seven people had fallen victim to the terrorist attack.
In reply to a question, he said the bereaved families would lodge FIRs soon against the nominated officials of the law enforcement agencies. He said they would launch a protest movement if the government failed to meet their demands within three days.
Earlier, moving scenes were witnessed when the biers were taken out from Imambargah Nachari to the graveyard in a long procession. Throughout the way thousands of mourners kept chanting slogans of Ya Hussain. They also raised slogans against District City Nazim Rahim Kakar, Balochistan Inspector-General of Police Shoaib Suddle and the government.
A heavy contingent of army troops escorted the procession and remained alert when the burial took place. The situation was tense during the burial. Mourners complained that it was the third incident since June 8, 2003 that the Hazara community had been targeted.
Allama Tawasli declared that the community stood by its demands: removal of the officials of the police, ATF, and FC for ordering their personnel to open fire; registration of an FIR against the nominated officials of these agencies, and lifting of curfew.
"Yes, we softened our stand keeping in view the sentiments of the affected families who feared that bodies would be decomposed if the burial was delayed any further," said Allama Tawasli, adding "we would wait for the government response to our demands for three days of fateha."
The president of the Hazara Democratic Party, Jawad Isar, told reporters that the conditions announced by the religious leaders were not a unanimous decision and added that elders of the tribe would meet on Thursday night to chalk out the future course of action.
He announced that the Hazara tribe in collaboration with other tribes and political parties would launch a protest movement against 'atrocities' allegedly committed by the law enforcement agencies on the Ashura procession.
Meanwhile, Syed Zahir Shah Zaidi, head of Balochistan's Markazi Matami Committee, demanded that the government should hold an impartial inquiry into the massacre so that real culprits could be exposed. Mourners have announced three days of fateha to be held at Imambargah Nachari.
AFP adds: Authorities relaxed the curfew in some localities to allow the funeral on Thursday morning. Later, they lifted the curfew across the whole city for three hours.
