ISLAMABAD: The civil society activists of Islamabad held a candlelight vigil at the National Press Club (NPC) to remember the victims of terror belonging to the Hazara community.

The event slammed the terror attacks at Alamdar Road on January 10, 2013 and on Karani Road in February 2013, while mentioning that the ethnic cleansing of the Hazara population has continued for the last two decades.

It was highlighted that more than 3,500 people have died since 1999, and around 2,000 have suffered permanent disabilities.

In total, 130 people lost their lives in the terror attack of January 10, 2013 on Alamdar Road, and in the February 2013 massive blast, 110 people were killed. Both the incidents occurred in residential areas, killing women and children too.

The organisers of the vigil demanded the authorities to take action to ensure long-term peace as terror incidents were occurring again in Balochistan.

The speakers criticised that despite the terror groups taking on the responsibility of the attack, the judicial system and the security forces failed to book any culprits.

Hazara community activist Fatima Atif, while expressing a lack of trust in the government functionaries, demanded that there be a United Nations (UN)-led probe into the continuous targeted killings of Hazara people in Balochistan.

She stated that the people of Hazara were an easy target due to their distinct faces, adding that the banned sectarian groups were involved in the killings as the Hazara people belong to the Shia school of thought.

Other speakers recalled that anti-shia slogans were raised recently in the federal capital by the workers of the proscribed party, but the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration did not take notice of them.

Activists, including Tahira Abdullah and Tariq Ghori, were also present during the vigil.

Published in Dawn, January 11th, 2024