UN chief strongly condemns terrorist attack that killed 11 Hazaras in Pakistan

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday "strongly condemned" the terrorist attack and killing of at least 11 Hazaras coal miners in Pakistan's Balochistan province on January 3. Guterres expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the miners and urged the Pakistani authorities to do "everything possible" to bring the perpetrators of this terrorist act to justice. Hazaras are the Persian-speaking ethnic group native to central Afghanistan and a minority community in neighbouring Pakistan. 

The United Nations General Assembly President Volkan Bozkir also condemned the terrorist attack on Hazaras people and extended condolences to the families of killed miners and the government of Pakistan. 

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The attack that killed 11 Hazaras

The attack took place on Sunday when a group of unidentified gunmen stormed a coal mine in Mach, Balochistan, and killed at least 11 members of the Hazaras community. The gunmen reportedly took 11 Hazaras people to nearby mountains and killed them by opening fire. Hazaras people belong to the minority Shia sect of Islam, a community that has faced decades of persecution in the country. Members of the community are protesting against the horrific killing of 11 people and are demanding justice from the government of Pakistan. 

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The families of the victims are refusing to bury their keen until the government takes action against the perpetrators. Community leaders have called on Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit Balochistan and meet their demands. The Sunday attack was reportedly claimed by the Islamic State, which posted pictures of the victims with gunmen and the ISIS flag to support its claim. 

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Hazaras people mostly live in Balochistan's capital Quetta, where two heavily-guarded enclaves house nearly 5,00,000 members of the community. Balochistan is the second-most terror affected region in Pakistan after the Khyber Pakhtunkwa province in the northwest. Recently, a report released by a Pakistani think-tank claimed Balochistan witnessed over 40 terror-related incidents in 2020 alone. 

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(With inputs from ANI)