QUETTA, Sept 21: A strike was observed in different parts of the city on Wednesday on the call of Shia groups and Anjuman-i-Tajran, Balochistan, to condemn the killing of 26 Hazara pilgrims in Ganjidori area on Tuesday.
The banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi had claimed responsibility for the killings that took place in Mastung district.
Trading centres and shops remained closed on Alamdar Road, Toghi Road, Mission Road, Abdul Sattar Road and in Marriabad, Meezan Chowk, Liaquat Bazaar, Aliabad and Hazara Town.
Twenty-one victims were buried in the Hazara Town graveyard and one was in Marriabad. Two bodies were sent to Loralai and two to Afghanistan. Allama Juma Asadi led the funeral prayers in Hazara Town.
Police said about 200 people, among them 100 Afghan refugees, were rounded up from different areas of the city for their suspected involvement in the incident.
Meanwhile, the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) called for a high-level judicial inquiry into the incident.
Addressing a press conference, HDP chairman Abdul Khaliq Hazara appealed to the chief justice of Pakistan and international human rights organisations to take notice of the killings.
He announced that rallies would be held in Quetta on Oct 1 in protest against the target killing of Hazara tribesmen.
He said the federal and provincial governments were not interested in protecting the Hazara community and hundreds of innocent people had been killed over the past decade. It was astonishing that the government and law-enforcement agencies had not arrested or punished any terrorist during the period, he added.
The HDP chairman urged the civil society, intellectuals and democratic political parties to play their role to curb sectarian violence in Balochistan.
He alleged that 'black sheep' in law-enforcement and intelligence agencies were also involved in sectarian violence.
According to AFP, the Shia community declared three days of mourning and more than 3,500 people gathered for the mass funeral, chanting slogans against the government and demanding protection.
Hundreds of women and children carrying placards and banners staged a protest after the funeral prayers.
PROBE COMMITTEE:
Meanwhile, Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Muhammad Aslam Raisani constituted a committee headed by Home Minister Mir Zafarullah Zehri to review all aspects of the loss of precious lives in the Ganjidori incident and directed the committee to submit its report in 15 days.
The chief minister asked the committee to investigate the matter and find out why security was not provided to the bus carrying the pilgrims.
Other members of the committee are provincial home secretary, IGP, commissioners of Quetta and Khuzdar divisions, deputy commissioners of Quetta and Mastung and CCPO Quetta.
