#ShiaGenocide: A personal account of Lahore sit-in in support of Shia Hazaras of Quetta – by Qurat ul Ain Haider Zaidi
Yesterday (on 12 January 2013) at 4 pm we the students (of Sunni, Shia and other diverse backgrounds), civil society, Shia Hazara community living in Lahore, some TV artists and news anchors gathered in front of the Liberty Round-About- a green patch between one of the busiest roads of Lahore city which lead to shopping area.
There on reaching we the students set down different slogans on charts. It’s not an over exaggeration that some of us were really weeping when slogans dissolved into the air of Lahore. The winter was proving itself very cruel. There we lit candles, held play cards and chanted slogans till 8 pm. Literally, after leaving that place we could barely talk.
Then we left for the Governor House (Mall Road). It was 9 pm where some fellows were already there and kicked start a peaceful sit in. There on reaching at 9 pm, I was amazed to see the sizable number of people who were already there. I was really astonished to see women and children there because its generally quiet cold in Lahore at nights in January. There I got a feeling that I’m attending a 10 Muharram procession of Ashura. Having the Alam e Abbas with us we along with men separately sitting there, chanted Labaik Ya Hussain as our commitment to Imam Hussain, symbol of freedom and resistance to all Muslims and non-Muslims.
And all of that is still carrying on while I write these lines on 13 January 2013 (8pm). We (when I write we it means boys, girls, men, women of all ages, Shia, Sunni and others) are offering our five times of prayers there. from last night number of religious scholars too have taken part in it by reciting the Majlis, to remember the tragedy that had befallen the holy family of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in the desert of Karbala at the hands of the Umayyad ruler Yazid. Khanam Bano has also talked to the sit in of thousands of women. When I say thousands I mean it!
There different people are distributing Tabarruk/Niaz (free food in the name of Islam) of various kinds. People though don’t know each other but still they are lending a helping hand to everyone there. Because from 27 hours we all have assumed a new shape of togetherness.
BUT apart from all this it hass been 27 hours no one has come from government, none at all from the PPP, nor from the PML-N government in the Punjab which is known to be in bed with Takfiri militants who are killing Shia Muslims in all parts of Pakistan. It was heard that they negotiated with our people leading all this in Quetta but all in vain.
Winter here is biting us but we will protest till our Shia Muslim brothers (including Shia Hazaras and other Shias of non-Hazara backgrounds in Quetta) get justice and their demands are met.
Qurat ul Ain Haider Zaidi is a Student of Law at a university in Lahore.
“Islamic” Republic of Pakistan has let loose its conventional (non-nuclear) “strategic assets” against Shias, Ahlul-Bait lover Braelvis, Ahmadis, Christians, Hindus and other minorities. It has become a proxy-state of Saudi Arabia. This is the only model to explain the bitter realities there.
And everyone living here right now is the culprit.
Twitter account: @annyzaidi
https://twitter.com/i/#!/annyzaidi/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FQgnn4ZHm
Dear Ms Zaidi;
There are few sensations more fortifying to the believer than the proximity of the sacred Alam.Given this exhiliration and the rarified atmosphere at Sunday’s baleful protest here is what may have eluded well-meaning participants such as yourself:
That these country-wide protests have targeted the elected political parties; or to be specific, the PPP. I see from your reportage that no dharna/gherao seems to have occurred at the Chief Minister’s residence.
If so, why not? Surely the Fuhrer-impersonating friend of the LEJ, who has openly given the Takfiris succour` so long as the Sharif’s Punjabi fiefdom stays unharmed’ seems the appropriate target for Shia ire.
`Taliban’ Khan and his good ship PTI, who have consistently provided a bulwark against any potential anti-Taliban/anti-Takfiri operation; and tirelessly supplied apologiae both in the home country and in the diaspora for Islamist supremacism, have borne not the slightest condemnation at any of the protests.Indeed, they seem to have been honoured guests at sit-ins (and in cyberspace )of Shia activists.
Yaani in darindon ko lahoo laga kar shaheedon mein shamooliat de di Shia bhaaion nein.
One salient feature in these recent pogroms has been the complicity of the `free’ media, where air-cover and camouflage has been rendered to the Takfiri savages by both print and electronic media, barring a handful of honourable exceptions. Were any of these propagandists and cheer leaders for the Ikhwani Taliban called out, their offices gheraoed? Logically speaking, given the righteous anger of the Shia protestors, Ansar Abbasi, Saleem Safi and the rest of the ghastly crew should be quivering in some ISI safe-house. Yet for all my trawling of news sites I have seen no evidence that this propaganda and disinformation arm of the Takfiri cause felt any heat from the Husseini camp.
Allow me to once again state the bleeding obvious that the repository of power in Pakistan remains the Military brass along with its obvious as well as nebulous auxiliary `agencies’. They are the fashioners, preservers and protectors of these`strategic assets’,so why was the GHQ deemed exempt from Shia shock and awe this day?
The Chief Justice and the rest of the `Azad Adlia’ mob; friends and enablers of known Takfiris, why were they not picketed? I do not need to illustrate Iftikhar Chaudhry’s Talibanophilia, my brother in Hussain ,Faisal Reza Abidi has already said all that needed saying on the subject.Not a peep against this obscene floor-show of a judiciary at any major protest either.
Both the Jamaat-e-Islami, who are Pakistan’s indigenous Ikhwan and whose founder Maududi remains,( other than Syed Qutb and Hassan-el-Banna), the fountainhead of Saudi-approved Islamist philosophy as well as the JUI have been enthusiastic partners in the drive to remake Pakistan in the Wahabist image, resultantly making Pakistan safe for Takfiri ascendancy. Did your sit-in chant `laanat beshumaar’ upon all these enemies of Husseiniat?
So what have we now? Baluchistan’s CM has been sent packing and the province is now under governor rule. It is said the new man is a GHQ appointee , so all change equals status quo: the Military brass who ran the joint run it still. Oh and the Supreme Court thugs got Raisani’s scalp after all..odious as the provincial government may have been, would it have been so calamitous to allow the citizenry to vote them out?
Let us not forget the other great feat, #occupy Bilawal House: the epitome of the impotent Dostoyevskyan loser kicking the cat.And the opportunistic hyenas tagged alongside.
What I am saying is this:Bughz-e-Zardari was allowed to trump Hob-e-Ali; once again; the existentially threatened Pakistani Shia have misdirected their salvo..it may turn out that in so doing; they have; however unwittingly; greatly strengthened the enemy’s position.
Ms Asma bint Marwan
Its so nice of you that you read my whole account that I wrote while sitting in a peaceful sit-in.
Well coming to the point that what you said- For people looking/following this Moment from their T.V sets/twitter account;it is quite natural for them to form such vibes of its ambience and so it occurred to you. Presence of Alam in our protest was a sign of our unity and a path to follow. For you it may be exhilaration but Sorry its very personal of Shiites protesting for the lives of their fellows you need not to be disturbed on it.
Yeah-Country wide protests have targeted PPP specifically because It was Riasani who had actually Zardari/PPP backing. His mocking remarks and indifference to the genocide and I must say turmoil were enough to involve this Political party.
Yes, Imran khan did what we say make hay while sun shines but to say “Yaani in darindon ko lahoo laga kar shaheedon mein shamooliat de di Shia bhaaion nein.” is really over exaggeration by such an enlightened lady. Sadistic!
How can you say that: “I have seen no evidence that this propaganda and disinformation arm of the Takfiri cause felt any heat from the Husseini camp.” I wish you would be the part of our protest or followed those protests by direct links of karachi/Quetta/lahore sit ins. For you (as it appears from your whole writing) those sit ins and protests were only joined by Shiites but you are wrong. People from different sects and religions when joined sit ins the slogans they chanted/the speeches leaders made covered ALL those people/groups having their any level of share in this whole situation.
Moreover I don’t feel like to get into the futile debate and make the situation complex as perceived by you – For commenting try to be really be a part of it to comprehend the situation clearly.
Stay Safe and Blessed 🙂
Herve Leger UK
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