Attack on Shia pilgrim's bus near Mastung: at least 23 killed and 30 injured

Quetta – Last updated: April 16, 2014 |

Quick Facts:

Attack Date: Jan 21, 2014
Attack Location: Koshak/Dringhar, district Mastung
Time of attack: Tuesday Evening
Attack: Suicide / Improvised blast containing : 80-100Kg explosives (as per Bomb Squad) + Indiscriminate firing following the blast
Convoy: 2 buses, 4 vehicles for security
Total passengers: 51 (from news sources; not confirmed from Hazara sources)
Lashkar-e Jhangvi, Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorists, claimed responsibility

“What Mastung blast survivors need now” by Bina Sarwar – April 7, 2014

Below are only some of those injured in the MastungBlast. Pictures and info (below), courtesy of @Beenasarwar and @Anasmallick.

Mr. Jawad Hazara lost his wife, two daughters (RIP. R-Rida), and mother-in-law, while his two sons were injured (L-Ibtehaj, 11, recovered from physical injuries)

Saadat Hussain, 37, is now disabled from waist down. He is former Mr. Pakistan (2003 – bodybuilding).

Mehrin Kauser, 20, is still treated for glasses in her eyes (among other injuries). Her father is among injured, and she lost both her mother and sister in the blast.

Zakir, 23, lost both legs.

Quetta – Jan 21, 2014:

A blast targeting a convoy of two Shia pilgrim buses and four security vehicles -almost all Hazaras- near Dringhar/Koshak area of Mastung district has killed at least 28 and injured 37, including many women and children.

Following the blast, terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on the buses that were carrying many women and children.

The bus was on its way from Taftan to Quetta when it was targeted.

The Saudi-supported Al-Qaeda affiliated Lashkar-e Jhangvi (LEJ) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Bus targeted in the attack (courtesy: AFP)

Aftermath of the Attack:

This is the second such attack in 20 days in the same area. The Al-Qaeda affiliated Jaish-ul-Islam terrorists accepted responsibility of the attack on Jan 1, 2014.

Story of Mohd Jawad – a helpless father – that lost everything:

Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) has strongly condemned the attack and called for a shutter down strike on Wednesday, Jan 23, 2014. MWM has announced three days of mourning.

Indifference or simply clueless?

While all those killed and injured are 100% Hazaras, a statement from UN Sec General, as well as some of the main news sources have absolutely not a single mention of “Hazara.”

UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-Moon’s statement – Jan 22
Deutsche Welle (DW): Attacks on Shiites intensify in Pakistan – Jan 22
BBC News: Bomb targets bus of Shia pilgrims in south-west Pakistan – Jan 21
Al-Jazeera: Pakistan bus bombing kills 22 Shia pilgrims – Jan 21

Shameless Balochistan Government MPs argue about getting “Blue Passports” for themselves while the dead bodies are still laying on the road.

Dunya News: Balochistan MPAs demand Blue passports; VIP protocols (video)

Deaths:

(reported by Naweed-e-Saher Welfare Organization/Ambulance Service)

Qurban Ali s/o Shaukat Ali Khawari
Nasima bibi w/o Kausar Ali
Kaniz Zahra d/o Kausar Ali (succumbed to injuries on 1/29/2014)
Zahra bibi w/o Mohammad Jawad
Rida Fatima d/o Mohammad Jawad
Um-e Farwa d/o Mohammad Jawad
Bibi Fatima d/o Mohammad Jawad (?Same as Rida Fatima?)
Hamayun s/o Khudaidad
Syed Akbar Shah s/o Syed Sarwar Shah
Mohammad Hussain s/o Qurban Ali
Kausar bibi
Hanifa d/o Sajjad Hussain
Mazhar Hussain s/o Ishaq Ali
Abbas s/o Zakir
Yazdan s/o Haji Mohammad Essa
Zulfiqar Ali s/o Haji Abdul Baqi
Jan bibi w/o Mohammad Raza
Faizullah Hazara s/o Ali Ahmed
Ali Ahmed s/o Naad Ali
Hayat Begum w/o Ramzan Ali
Mohammad Hadi s/o Haji Mohammad Ibrahim
Basit s/o Mohammad Ibrahim
Muntazir Mehdi s/o Ali Mohammad
Syed Abbas s/o Syed Safdar Ali
Mohammad Raza s/o Qurban Ali
Sadaf w/o Mohammad Ali
Shabbir Hussain s/o Qurban Ali
Badly damaged – Body could not be identified
Badly damaged – Body could not be identified

Injured List:

(reported by Naweed-e-Saher Welfare Organization/Ambulance Service)

Syed Ruhullah s/o Syed Ibrahim
Mohd Murtaza s/o Chaman Ali
Salman Ali s/o Ghulam Sakhi
Ali Jan s/o Qadir Ali
Zakir Hussain s/o Nasir Ali – lost leg
Amjad s/o Qayum
Syed Mushtaba s/o Syed Hussain
Gul Shah
Imtiaz
Karrar Ali
Syed Mohammad Asif
Lateef Agha s/o Shabbir Hussain
Adnan Ali s/o Zaman
Mohammad Mehdi s/o Ashiq
Manzoor Hussain s/o Iqbal Ali
Asif Shah s/o Deedar Ali
Syed Mujtaba s/o Ashiq
Mohammad Meraj s/o Mohammad Jawad
Ali Zaheer s/o Ali Mohammad
Mushtaq s/o Iqbal
Mohammad Agha s/o Syed Ali
Abdul Qayum
Shabbir Ali
Asghar Ali
Saadat Hussain s/o Abbasi – disabled from waist down
Kaniz bibi (d/o Qadir ali ?)
Nasima bibi w/o Kausar Ali
Hakima bibi (d/o Hussain ?)
Mehreen d/o Kausar Ali
Gul Begum (d/o Nasir)
Suraya bibi
Gul Bakht (w/o Ishaq ?)
Fatima bibi
Asma bibi
Nasreen w/o Mohib Ali
Janat Gul
Gul Andam w/o Mohammad Zaman

The convoy was on its way from Taftan, border crossing between Iran and Pakistan, to Quetta. The bus was carrying Shia pilgrims returning from Iran and Arbaeen commemoration from Karbala, Iraq.

Iran and Iraq (roughly 90% of all holy sites) contains majority of Shia religious sites. The journey from Pakistan to Iraq passes through Iran. During Saddam Hussain’s regime, Shias were not allowed to travel for pilgrimage to holy sites in Iraq. The new Shia-based government has now provided open access for people to visit the holy sites. Visitors to holy cities of Karbala and Najaf gets the honorary titles of “Karbalai” and “Najafi”, which they can use with their names.

Several attacks have been carried in this area over the years targeting Shia pilgrim’s buses by the Saudi-financed terrorists, Lashkar-e Jhangvi – formerly known as SipahSahaba Pakistan (SSP), an Al-Qaeda affiliate.

According to Hazara Organization for Peace and Equality (HOPE), Al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist outfits have thus far claimed responsibility for 157 separate attacks on Hazaras to date, killing over 1400 and injuring over 3500 [ See Google Map of all attack locations ].

The two Hazara enclaves —Alamdar Road and Hazara Town— are under constant barrage of attacks where armed killers patrol city streets executing Hazaras wherever they find them. Other groups find Hazaras easy target, frequently abducting for ransom and forcing them to sell their valuable businesses for pennies. Currently the 600,000 peaceful Hazara community are confined in an open-air jail – the 4 to 5 mile radius of two enclaves.

Relevant: Peaceful Hazara Community voted 2nd in “Herald Person of the Year Poll” for 2013

SIT-IN PROTEST

The Hazara community has agreed to end their Sit-in protest after assurances by government for an operation against Saudi-funded militants in Quetta region. The government negotiating team included: Chief Minister Balochistan, Dr. Abdul Malik; Federal Interior Minister, Chaudary Nisar, and Federal Information Minister, Pervez Rashid.

Burial of Shuhadas will take place on Friday around 10:00 local time.

Dawn: Mastung bloodbath: Shia protesters agree to end Quetta sit-in

Sit-In Protests:

Quetta
- Shuhada chowk, Alamdar Road
- HDP, MWM, Quetta-Yek-Jehti-Council and Tanzeem, voiced support for the Sit-in proteest
- Hazara Democratic Party Khaliq Shaheed Unit is protesting at Mezan chowk and Manan Chowk…! While HDP’s Hazara Town council will conduct a demonstration in front of Quetta Press club at 12…! (via HDP)
Rawalpindi/Islamabad
- Venue: Islamabad Press Club; Time: 4pm today (via Sajjad Changezi )
- Faiz Abad (MWM)
Karachi
- Tata Khan, 3-Talwar, 5-Start Chowrangi, Namaish Chowrangi, Malir, Ancholi, Abbas Town, traffic stopped on M.A. Jinnah Road and Shahrah-e Faisal
HyderAbad – Jamshoro Bypass
Dadu – Indus highway
Larkhana – Jinnah Chowk
Jamshoro
Multan
Lahore
- Mall Road (MWM) ; Outside Governor House
- Press Club – charged crowd chanting Anti-Government slogans
UK (London) – Tonight 22/01/2014 08:00 PM. Pakistan Embassy, 34-36 Lowndes Square, London SW1X 9JN. (via Asif Khan)
USA
- New York: Fatiha at Masjid Imam Ali, Queens Blvd, Queens. Sunday, Jan 26, 10:00am and 2:00pm.
- Chicago: At Consulate General of Pakistan, 333 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60601; Thursday 01/23/2014; Starts:5:00pm
  Organizers: Rehan Rizvi & Ali Hasan
Australia (Melbourne)
- Sit-in protest – Jan 22 at 11:27pm (more info)
- Australia (Melbourne): Sit-in protest/candle light vigil – Jan 23 (pic gallery)
- Candle-light vigil by from “The Welcome Group” in conjunction with the Australian Hazara Women’s Friendship Network (AHWFN) – Monday, January 27, 2014 – (more info)
Australia (Adelaide): Candle light vigil – Jan 24 (pic gallery)