Letter from Quetta: ‘I too had a dream, but being a Pakistani Shia, it will remain a dream’ – by S. Batool
Editor’s Note: In this time of distress and misfortune, LUBP stands with all oppressed people, and demands of the government to ensure equal treatment of its citizens. It seems that after covert complicity with the terrorists, the state of Pakistan has now decided to overtly deprive the ‘undesirable groups’ of even basic amenities of life. This heart-wrenching narration of the treatment meted out to Shia-Hazara students of Quetta shows that the state is not only indirectly involved in genocide of Shias through its proxies, but its policies are now bordering on overt apartheid. Not much is left to say, just as not much is left for the minorities in Pakistan to live for, but one statement can suffice: ‘Pakistan, you are a failed state’.
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It takes a thousand voices to tell a single story, but today here’s the single voice to represent the thousand voices.
Unlike routine days, my phone beeped several times that made me wake up while I was asleep. I checked my phone and my breath was taken away,
‘Plz ask —- If she is alright, Did — go to university today? , Is —- Alright? Make sure if —- is alright…’
The darkest day to be remembered in the history of Pakistan; it was a remote control bomb blast on BUITEMS University Bus. This blast took away 6 lives leaving behind 25+ severely injured talents.
University faculty didn’t utter a single word in condemnation, this was not enough to cut apart an already wounded community that within a two-day gap, another University ‘Sardar Bahadur Khan Women’s University, Balochistan’ arranged a separate University bus for Shia Hazara students.
I was in the University that day, rumors circulated that Hazara students are supposed to travel by a separate bus – this was ordered on the call of other communities’ request to the VC of the University. I didn’t doubt VC to be such a sap-head to act upon the call, however, my expectations dusted and we were asked to travel by the separate bus.
Agony hooked my mind. I felt very much alone, was over-whelmed by grief, and I expected sympathy. I found no sympathy; I saw only faces of my co-Hazara students as badly mangled as mine. I looked around, hundreds of eyes were staring. Cruel, pitiless stares. Angry stares, unfeeling cold stares.
You are alone here! I murmured to myself and got on the bus provided. That day ended with utter chaos as we then landed to our places with a bang on our heads. Can they be this selfish? I could have never imagined.
Nevertheless, the next day’s sun arose with which I witnessed courage that ran chills up and down my spine because by then I had decided not to give up and stand against the melting pot of apparent Muslims, but actually terrorist jihadists attacking my faith and those cruel stares leaving me alone the previous day.
“University Buses are jammed for Alamdar Road (where Shia Hazara students reside) “was yet another blow within 2 days. This cracked up my nerves. No transport-No University-No Education, Period.
I frozed, dazed and pinned down. My mind screamed, No! Education is my right!
It was 18 June, 2012 and today it is 11 July 2012 and we are still sitting at homes as no transport
facility is provided to us. Is there anyone who could show up a fraction of humanity? , Who could feel that we are also Pakistani and we have the rights to enjoy equal freedom in Pakistan?
Hear me O’ the failed Government; jailing us is not the solution, why don’t you jail those LeJ rats whose residents are all known to you?
They attacked on the University bus, you jammed it for us.
They attacked the Passenger bus for Iran, you jammed that.
Tomorrow they will attack us at our homes; will you then shift us to some mountain cage?
O the silent spectators/Government/ISI agencies , wake up, wake up from deep slumber, Today it is us, Tomorrow it will be your own daughters and sons , it is only the matter of interest – This is the only cry of my soul , a deep rumble, shattering the predawn silence.
I once had a dream, a dream of being among the graduates marching around the pavilion in caps and gowns – But being a Shia , it seems it will remain a dream.
Pen it down and know it, we are motivated to exist and resist before the inhuman acts of all the veiled and un-veiled terrorists.
I am Leaving now to slay the foe
Fight the battles, high and low
I’ve grown my wings, I want to fly
Seize my victories where they lie
I want to shake the dead souls
though there are dangers , there are fears
Carve my niche, sew my seams.
A hopeful and hopeless Shia Hazara student.
My heart is crying and my mind is jammed and no word is coming out of my mouth after reading your article. Yeah! you are right my sister, “today it us, tomorrow it will be your own daughters and sons, it is only the matter of interest”.
But crying infront of this Government is useless. Yesterday the blind Chief Justice of Pakistan has passed an order to pay emoluments to the family of suicide bomb blaster at Imambargah e kalan on 4th of July 2003. What we are expecting from this Government/ Judiciary of this country! By GOD i have no words to say—- Pity
@Muhammad Essa
Can you provide us some proof (internet link or newspaper cutting) where Chief Justice ordered payment to family of suicide bomber? Kindly provide it if you can.
I cried when I read this.
this is heart wrenching .
@ Muhammad
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=408692102499898&set=a.408692089166566.78747.100000773347708&type=1&theater
if it will open… reference: 10th July Jang Newspaper
this letter make us cry.
@Muhammad Essa it did not open. Any other link? Or can you email it to the blog?
salam dear friends… plz don’t give up ur courage and education. we will resist till our last breath and blood ,,, we will keep continue our education and other activities, the continuation of our activities is the failure of our enemy. what they want from us is to quit our education and isolate us from our activities,,,
This is sad, I am moved. I can’t do anything except for sharing these articles on Facebook and Google+ and my social sites friends only care about manicures and their dresses, so that is useless too. 🙁
wow my mind is captivated really. speechless. pretty nice article which i consider as i am one of the victims of that bomb blast
Dear friend I am not at all astonished by reading your letter because this is not new to our community. We are facing this since the time of Zia ul Haq era. But I want to tell you that you are hundred percent true that what today we are facing, tomorrow the rest of the pakistanies will face the same. If any of our fellow pakistani feels that they are safe they should realize that these terrorists are the enemies of humanity. Also the ISI and other agencies keep in mind that “what you sow so shall you reap”.
ALLAH will help us inshaaALLAH out of this mess…
Sister, this was a moving letter. Thank you LUBP for publishing it. As for Pakistanis and their sympathies, we have given up. They’re as unmoved and quiet as the soulless people get in such hard times. But sister, you and all of us have a fundamental right to education. We cannot be denied education. Please get this letter published in all newspapers of Pakistan including Tribune and DAWN. Let more people come to know about our sufferings. This one voice representing 1000s must be heard, loud and clear.
Regards,
Zaheer Ali, Southampton
what’s wrong with pakistan? and what’s wrong with the world as a whole? where is UN? isn’t it apartheid?
SHAME ON BALOCHISTAN GOVERNMENT. SHAME ON PPP. SHAME ON Kyani.
There’s no future for Hazaras in Pakistan, neither for Shias.
“Today it is us, Tomorrow it will be your own daughters and sons” May all this come to them too as soon as possible! Ameen!
A sense of gratitude to this forum for publishing something that wud be discarded if sent to any other forum. Discrimination now runs deep in Pakistan as I’ve experienced it. In fact, your ethnic and sectarian identity can be an anathema any time for you. My facial features would be a source of astonishment for my friends who had never seen Hazaras in Lahore, and never known of their history. While majority there were quite moderate and friendly, I had three batch mates with hardline views. They’d somehow come to know that Hazaras are Shias, and anti-Taliban. I obviously ignored them as long as I was there. I don’t know what’s the level of hatred now. I think I too would somehow be beaten or expelled on any given day if I were a student there now. Days ahead are darker for our community both because of our ethnic and sectarian identity. The latter above shows it. It also practically shows how imminent is the downfall of Pakistan whose foundation was laid on hatred.
Let us build Pakistan!
Lose no hope. Be strong. Build a strong nation, a strong country for generations to come!
Let our enemies eat dust!
Why is LUBP blaming agencies and ISI for this?! This is all an Indo-American conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan from their bloody consulates and bases across the border in Afghanistan.
To Farea Haris,
“Why is LUBP blaming agencies and ISI for this?! This is all an Indo-American conspiracy to destabilise Pakistan from their bloody consulates and bases across the border in Afghanistan.”
Whoever you are, you’re completely ignorant of all that is happening around you. Its not like this has been happening since yesterday, last month or the past one year. Its been going on systematically for over 5 years and the government of Balochistan and Pakistan has been silent about it since it all began. Instead of coming over here and writing something that could possibly ease the pain of people who have lost their relatives over these years, you’ve come across and spinelessly written exactly two lines about a baseless conspiracy that has no head or tail to its fabricated spin. Do you know something more than everyone else does? The same systematic ethnic cleansing has already taken places years ago in Afghanistan against our people and you turn a complete blind eye to that. Instead you spit out a complete irrelevant accusation (the people who share the very same sentiments, do exactly the same hypocritical finger pointing as you have across the border). Has any other ethnicity been targetted in Quetta so far so openly? Use your common sense and think for a second. What could the “Indo-American conspirators” gain from targeting a simple, peaceful and accepting ethnic tribe like the Hazaras? I’d love to hear a reply from you instead of another two sentence statement from your goblet of stupidity. Open your eyes and smell the stink. I agree and repeat the initial statement: Pakistan, you are a failed State. Come 14th August, many Hazaras shall be praying “14 August, Pakistan se zinda baag instead of the misconceived Zindabad. So its simply not there anymore.
Dear Mohammad,
Yes, its true if today its Hazara tommorrow will be some one else. Its only a matter of time before everything could change. This chaos will bring omen and the silent audience who witness these atrocities will get their turn. As you sow so shall you reap!!!
i am totally with you guys , and if i was there i would have preferred to travel among hazara people.
may Allah keep every one safe ameen
They came first for the minorities and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a minority,
Then they came for the liberals and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a liberal
Then they came for the wealthy and the affluent and I didn’t speak up because I was neither
And then they came for me and by that time no one was left to speak up for me.’
-Anon
“Hope” is the thing with feathers —
That perches in the soul —
And sings the tune without the words —
And never stops — at all —
And sweetest — in the Gale — is heard —
And sore must be the storm —
That could abash the little Bird
That kept so many warm —
I’ve heard it in the chillest land —
And on the strangest Sea —
Yet, never, in Extremity,
It asked a crumb — of Me.
Keep ur Hopes High and very nicely written Sis!
we have build pakistan with our blood, now we will save pakistan with our blood, may God all the real muslims look at their deeds, allah will take our revange from this animals, or appoint us to do do it, the blood of innocents will take the revange, inshallah, believe in God. believe in your self.
I dont know what to say,from where to start,i was living in a wrng impression that live is showing its worst side to me,but i guess i am far better than what actually our shia hazara brothers and sisters are facing.
the worst part is that we are sitting in homes and not even considering what our SO CALLED brthers and sisters are facing.where are our so called feelings and support??who we actually are and at what track we going?we jst call them brthers and sisters.Ilaahi gave us the strength to be guided on the right path.
Hazara brthrs and sisters jst 1 thng to say,u ppl are the pillars on which our senctitiude belief is standing.
کل یوماً عاشورا، کل ارض کربلا
MY soul is crying, my heart is praying for us(shias)that May 2013 be the year of safety and protection. May our youth be able achieve all their dreams.