Thousands of Hazaras have been targeted and killed in various attacks and shootings in Balochistan. Dawn.com presents an exclusive timeline of the events.

2001

A vehicle was ambushed near Poodgali Chowk and eight Hazaras were killed.

June 2003

Eleven police officials were killed when two armed men opened fire at a van carrying police recruits to their training school in Quetta. Several officials were also injured and the incident was believed to be an act of sectarian violence as most of the officials in the van were Hazaras.

July 2003

Two people attacked a Hazara mosque on Mechangi Road in Quetta during Friday prayers, while a third person blew himself up, leaving 47 people dead. The police also defused two bombs.

March 2004

An Ashura procession was attacked in Quetta, which left 42 people dead, and many injured. The attackers first threw a hand grenade, followed by firing as the procession reached the main business district of the city. It was reported that most of the victims were Hazaras.

January 2009

Unknown assailants killed the chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), Hussain Ali Yousafi.

September 2009

Engineer Ahmed Ali Najaf was killed at his workplace by armed men. He was pulled out of his car and shot dead, according to eyewitness accounts.

October 2009

Walayat Hussain, a Hazara lawyer, was killed while on his way from work after unknown men opened fire on him.


Mohammad Ashraf, the chief inspector of mines in Balochistan, was gunned down while he was going to work in an official vehicle.

February 2010

Mehmud Ali, a young Hazara boy, was killed by armed men on the Quetta-Karachi highway while another boy Mohammad Yousuf was injured in the same incident.

March 2010

Ghulam Rasool and Muhammad Ali, who were day labourers, were killed near Akhtarabad.


Shabbir Hussain, a shopkeeper, was killed by armed men while he was working in his shop in the Hazar Ganji area.


Muhammad Ali, Ghulam Raza and Ramzan Ali who were vegetable vendors were killed in the Hazar Ganji area.

May 2010

A young Hazara boy, Ali Murtaza, was shot dead on Sirki road.

September 2010

A suicide bombing during a Shia rally in Quetta killed around 50 people and injured many others. Later, the Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack.


Mohammad Ali Hazara, was kidnapped for ransom and later killed even though the amount had been paid.

October 2010

Four Hazaras were abducted and killed for ransom. Haji Ali Akbar, who was the owner of Al Abbas store was captured along with his son, bodyguard and an employee and later killed.

November 2010

Haji Idrees, the owner of Barkat medical store was kidnapped and his bodyguard Mohammad Ali was killed.

December 2010

Three people, including a four year old girl, were killed in a terrorist attack on Arbab Karam Khan Road in Quetta.

May 2011

Eight people, including children, were killed in a rocket and gun attack which targeted Hazaras in a park. After the rockets were fired, armed men on vehicles shot at people and fled. Banned outfit Lashkar-i-Jhangavi claimed responsibility for the attack.


Two Hazara policemen, Mohammad Musa and Ishaq Ali, were shot dead on Sipni Road while on their way home.

June 2011

Former Olympian and deputy director of the Pakistan Sports Board, Abrar Hussain, was shot by armed men on motorcycles as he was returning home.


Armed terrorists attacked a bus carrying Hazara pilgrims from Iran, killing three and injuring 11 others in the Hazar Ganji area of Quetta.

July 2011

Eleven Hazaras, including one woman, were killed when a Suzuki van was attacked on Spini road inQuetta.

September 2011

Thirteen people, including four women, were killed in a suicide bombing attack on Eid day.  The target was the Eidgah, however, the vehicle carrying the suicide bomber exploded a few yards before the target due to a collision.


Twenty-six people were killed when a bus carrying pilgrims from Quetta was attacked by armed men in Mastung. The attackers stopped the bus and shot the victims one by one.


Three Hazaras were killed when gunmen attacked a van. Three others, including a child, sustained injuries.

October 2011

Fourteen vegetable vendors were killed when gunmen attacked a van going to a vegetable market inQuetta.

January 2012

Walayat Hussain, inspector of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), TV artist Abid Hussain Nazish and Mohammad Anwar Hussain, a government official were gunned down near Mecongi Road, Quetta. The three were going home in a car when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire on them with automatic weapons in a street.

March 2012

Ejaz Hussain and Ali Asghar were killed on Sabzar Road when unknown men opened fire on them.


Seven Hazaras including women were killed when unknown gunmen opened fire on a passenger van.

April 2012

Two Hazaras, Ali Akbar and Ali Raza, were killed when unknown men opened fire on two shops on Meconghy Road, Quetta.


Mama Karim, Mohammad Hassan, Saeed Ahmed, Qurban Ali, Nadir Ali and Shabir Hussain were killed when armed assailants opened fire at a shoe shop on Prince Road, Quetta


Three men were killed when armed men on a motorbike opened fire at a tea shop. Six Hazaras were killed when armed men ambushed a taxi on Brewery Road, Quetta and opened fire. The victims were on their way to Killi Ibraimzai from Hazara Town.


Unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle opened fire on a tyre shop situated at Quarry road, killing a business man, Salman Ali Hazara.


Two Hazara brothers, Baban Ali and Hussain Ali, were gunned down on Brewery Road, Quetta while they were on their way to a bazaar from Hazara Town.

May 2012

Mohammad Ali was killed by unknown gunmen while working in his tyre shop.


Two Hazaras, Mohammad Tahir and Mohmmad Qadir, were killed outside the passport office on Joint Road when armed assailants opened fire and fled.

June 2012

Fourteen people, including two policemen and a woman, were killed and many others injured in a suicide attack on a bus carrying pilgrims returning from Iran. The suicide bomber was in a private car which hit the bus in the Hazar Ganji area of Quetta.

August 2012

Three people of the Hazara community were killed and three others injured when gunmen opened fire on a taxi going to Marriabad from Hazara Town on Spiny Road in Quetta.


Three people going to Hazara Town in a rickshaw were killed when gunmen on a motorbike opened fire on them and escaped. Out of the three, two were identified as Ghulam Hussain and Khadim Hussain

September 2012

Gunmen on motorcycles shot dead seven Hazara Shia Muslims in two separate incidents.

October 2012

Four Hazara men were shot dead in an attack on a scrap shop. Men on motorcycles opened fire on the shop in Kabarhi Market on Sirki Road and fled after killing Ata Ali, Muhammad Ibrahim, Ghulam Ali and Syed Awiz.

December 2012

A man was killed and his brother injured when they came under fire on Airport Road near Askari Park.

January 2013

As many as 81 people were killed and 121 injured in suicide and car bomb blasts in Quetta’s Alamdar Road area on Thursday night.

Earlier in the afternoon, 12 people lost their lives when a bomb went off near a vehicle of the Frontier Corps at Bacha Khan Chowk.

A cameraman and a reporter of a private news channel, a computer operator of a news agency and nine police personnel, including two senior police officers, were among the dead, while 10 army and FC personnel were injured in the blasts.

A majority of the people killed in the Alamdar Road blasts belonged to the Hazara Shia community.

February 2013

At least 84 people were killed and over a hundred wounded when a large blast ripped through Quetta near a market at the Kirani road, which is close to Hazara Town.

Police sources confirmed the attack was targetting the Shia community for which Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility.

Compiled by Tabinda Siddiqi/Dawn.com

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