ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court took suo motu notice on Monday of unabated killings of the Shia Hazara community in Quetta and termed the gruesome incidents a critical moment in the history of Pakistan.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry ordered to summon Attorney General Irfan Qadir and Advocate General of Balochistan Amanullah Kinrani to appear before a three-judge bench of the court on Tuesday.

“This is indeed a critical moment in the history of the country,” the order dictated by the chief justice said, adding that the death of over 87 innocent citizens and injuries to 200 in the Hazara Town bomb blast was a dismal failure of the government to protect people and their property, which infringe the safeguards laid down in Article 4, 9, 14, 24 and 25 of the Constitution.

The chief justice recalled that 93 people had died and 120 injured in powerful explosions at Bachcha Khan Chowk and Alamdar Road took place in Quetta on Jan 10.

The incident caused a furore amongst the Shia Hazara community not only in Quetta but across the country and eventually resulted in proclamation of the governor’s rule in Balochistan on Jan 14 which is still continuing.