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Once Again, Men
in Military Uniforms Kill Shia Muslims in Pakistan
Asian Human Rights Commission
Men in military uniforms went on a rampage of sectarian violence in
Pakistan attacking and killing Shia Muslims, who make up the second
largest Muslim sect after Sunnis. According to reports from
Gilgit-Baltistan, the northern district of Kohistan, where sizeable
numbers of Shia Muslims reside, on three different occasions this year,
members of the Shia sect were dragged out of passenger buses, asked to
show identity cards and, after confirming they were from the Shia sect,
were put in a line and killed.
On Aug. 16 when Shias were massacred in Mansehra District in a pre-dawn
attack, around a dozen people in uniform entered the well-guarded air
base of the Pakistan air force at Kamra, 50 kilometers from the
country’s capital of Islamabad. They remained there for some time and
damaged one of the surveillance aircraft, used rocket-propelled grenades
and killed two officers. This attack is the fourth one since 2007, and
it is believed that terrorists are attempting to steal the nuclear
assets which are stored there.
It is interesting to note that in the attacks on the general
headquarters of the Pakistan army in Rawalpindi, the naval base in
Karachi, the headquarters of the intelligence agencies and several
attacks on air force bases not one person has been held responsible. In
fact, it has been revealed that people employed on the bases have worked
in collusion with the attackers. The armed forces are attempting to hide
the fact that their own men are involved in these attacks, and it is
evident that militancy has seeped into their ranks. This phenomenon is
one reason why killings and violence against religious minorities are
never fully investigated as they are being carried out by serving
soldiers.
There is very obviously a nexus between the perpetrators of these
incidents, the armed forced and the criminals released earlier on the
instructions of the judiciary. It is too much of a coincidence that the
killers are in possession of military uniforms and weapons. High-ranking
military officers are trying to place the blame on the judiciary for
releasing these men. However, it cannot be denied that they are
receiving assistance from the military, even if it is only in turning a
blind eye to the killings that take place in close proximity to army
checkpoints.
The Pakistani judiciary, particularly the chief justice of Pakistan, who
is very famous for taking suo moto action [meaning action on “its own
motion”] on petty issues, is being held responsible by the Shia
religious groups, which comprise 30 percent of the population, for
releasing all the terrorists who have been involved in the killings of
Shia members. Lt. Gen. Ahmad Shuja Pasha, former chief of the notorious
intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has also blamed
the judiciary during a briefing in Parliament in which he remarked that
992 terrorists have been released by the courts who had been arrested by
the law enforcement agencies after a great deal of hard effort. Another
accusation by the Shia leaders is that in 2010 the chief justice visited
the Karachi jail during the evening and had 28 terrorists released and
that it is those people who were involved in the killings.
In the recent incident in the early morning of Aug. 16, the four buses
carrying passengers from Gilgit to Rawalpindi, a city of Punjab
Province, were halted by around 50 men in military uniforms who placed
heavy stones and wooden logs on the main road at Babusar Top in the
Kaghan Valley in Mansehra District. All the passengers were asked to
alight from the buses and show their national identity cards. After
identifying 25 people as Shia Muslims, they were instructed to stay at
the side of the road. Their hands were tied, and more than a dozen
assailants opened fire at them. After the shooting, they marched away in
military style, shouting Allah ho Akbar.
Earlier on Feb. 28, 2012, gunmen in military fatigues hauled passengers
from a bus and in the same fashion killed them on the roadside after
checking their national identity cards. The passengers were travelling
from Rawalpindi to Gilgit, the northern district of Kohistan.
Again, an April 3, a mob dragged nine Shia Muslims from buses and shot
them dead in close proximity to a military checkpoint that was fully
manned. There was no response from the soldiers.
Meanwhile, people from the Hazara community of Balochistan Province
belong to the Shia community and on many occasions have been massacred
near military checkpoints.
One of the amazing things to come out of these killing is that the blame
is always placed on the Taliban Pakistan or Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and
Sipah-e-Sahaba, which are banned Islamic militant organizations. It is
believed that the intelligence agencies issue such statements in an
attempt to cover up the crimes of their men who are very close to the
Taliban and other banned militant organizations. These agencies are, in
turn, very much involved, along with the armed forces, in the politics
of the country and in maligning civilian representatives for putting the
country on the road to democratic norms.
There is a very real need for Parliament to ensure that there is
complete transparency in the affairs of the military. Their budgeting
allocations, disciplinary proceedings and investigations into the
criminal activities of their own personnel must be made public. The
hierarchy of the armed forces must be made responsible for the actions
of the officers and rank and file under them. Command responsibility
must be a high priority, and it is only the government that can ensure
this accountability. If the military hierarchy considers themselves
above the government, then the time is ripe for another military
takeover.
The chief justice of Pakistan, as noted earlier, is keen on taking suo
moto action in cases that are relatively minor. He should now use this
judicial action against the involvement of people from the armed forces
in militancy, killing and sectarian violence. Pakistan cannot afford
another period of military rule, and it is only Parliament and the
Supreme Court that can ensure that this national tragedy does not happen
again by bringing the military into line.
* The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is a regional
non-governmental organization monitoring and lobbying human rights
issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. More
information is available on AHRC’s web site at <http://www.ahrchk.net/index.php>.
Please see the following links for further information about human
rights violations against Shias and other minorities in Pakistan:
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-038-2012
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-124-2011
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/ahrc-news/AHRC-STM-136-2012
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/forwarded-news/AHRC-FOL-015-2011
http://www.humanrights.asia/news/forwarded-news/AHRC-FAT-008-2012
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