ISLAMABAD: During the quarter of a century between 1989 and 2014, more than 4,900 Pakistani citizens have perished in around 3,000 incidents of sectarian violence and close to 9,500 have sustained injuries.
The research shows that approximately 525 Pakistanis had lost lives in 128 incidents of sectarian violence during 2013, 509 people had died unnaturally in 57 such incidents during 2010, as many as 507 humans (in 173 incidents) were made to travel towards their eternal abodes during 2012 because of their religious beliefs and 441 citizens had succumbed to this mode of terrorism in 341 incidents during 2007.
More than 160 Pakistanis have fallen victim to the monster of sectarianism in well over five dozen incidents till date during the ongoing 2014.
Following Wednesday’s unsuccessful suicide attack aimed at killing the JUI-F Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Quetta, it is hence worthwhile to peek into the chronology and timeline of anti-state violence, sectarian killings, election-related feuds, tribal shootings, ethnicity and terrorism etc in Baluchistan during last 11 years.
Research reveals at least 125 major incidents have rocked this unfortunate province since June 8, 2003, or the day when some 11 police trainees hailing from the Hazara Shia branch were shot dead at Quetta’s Sariab Road.
While many residents of Baluchistan have lost lives since 2003 after their vehicles had unfortunately hit land mines, even schools, hospitals, mosques and courts have not been spared by the merciless terrorists.
It goes without saying that innumerable Nato oil tankers have been torched during this decade-long period under review and various guest Chinese engineers have been shot dead while working on development projects undertaken in Baluchistan, in collaboration with their country.
A good number of politicians like Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Sanaullah Zehri (provincial chief of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz), some sitting chief ministers and ministers of the time including the likes of the late Baluchistan Chief Minister Jam Muhammad Yousaf, another ex-Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Khan Raisani, former provincial Governor Nawab Zulfiqar Magsi, Baluchistan’s ex-provincial Finance Minister Asim Ali Kurd and the Punjab-born Baluchistan Education Minister Shafiq Ahmed Khan etc) have till date been targeted with absolute ease since 2003.
Apart from Shafiq Ahmed Khan, who was killed on October 25, 2009 in what appeared to be an incident of ethic and linguistic violence, all others named in the above paragraph were favoured by Lady Luck though.
INTERNEWS
