Shiite Muslims in Pakistan, the other martyrs

"Two brothers Shiites have been killed in Karachi yesterday ... one of them was getting married today ... what's going on in this world? "asks the Pakistani from Lahore Moeid Haider, who belongs to that branch of Islam. In Pakistan called Syed Raza, Shabbir Askai or multiplies the chances of being killed ... have features different from those of most, too. Shiite Muslims are 20% or 30% of the population, which means about 60 million people. The killings of members of this branch of Islam at the hands of Sunni extremist groups have grown "dramatically". According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), more than 350 have been executed so far this year. One hundred of them in Baluchistan province, where the population is usually Hazara. That figure does not include the two young men, or to about 40 who died Sunday in several attacks, one of them with a bomb that blew up two buses in the district of Mastung (Balochistan) the Southwest.

The 'objective'

However, although the most popular targets are Hazaras, the director of the organization in Pakistan, Ali Dayan Hasan , underlines that there ELMUNDO.es Shia Muslims across Pakistan and in all ethnic groups. "The State has chosen the Wahhabi version of Islam [the same imposed by clerics of Saudi Arabia] to support his speech and uses hyper jihadism as a tool," said Mohammad Taqi , Pakistani columnist 'Daily Times'. "By default, the Shiites are now considered strange. Policy comes first, but in the end it seems that the jihadi tail is wagging the dog. Moreover, in the attempt to create a national identity, diversity has been set aside and People are fanatical, "he adds. Among the highlights bloodiest attacks of the past August when four buses circulating in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were ambushed by gunmen who drove down to travelers and, after verifying their identity,summarily executed 22 of them identified as Shiites. In the cruel scene videos posted on the Internet can be heard shouting "Allah akbar" (God is great) and on. A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Tehrik-e-Taliban , claimed responsibility for the killings. But they are not alone, other groups such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ, Soldiers Jhangvi, by founder) also have the Shiites as prey, and they have claimed responsibility for attacks in Afghanistan even. Also, Lashkar-e-Taiba (Soldiers of the Pure, which fight against Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir), is accused of several deadly attacks in India, including the Mumbai attacks of 2008 and a raid on its parliament in December 2001 along with the cashmere Jaishi-e-Muhammad (Army of Muhammad) that was about to trigger a war between the neighbors.

The senselessness of hate

These radical Sunnis accuse Shias to be infidels ('Kafir') if not true Muslims. They claim that their behavior, from believing in the infallibility of their Imams or give excessive weight to others that the Prophet Muhammad (Muhammad) and Ali (his son), Fatima (Prophet's daughter and wife of Ali) and Hussein (son of both) or diverts them from the highest principle of Islam : the oneness of God. The origin of the split between respective branches of Islam goes back to the problems of succession after the death of Muhammad , the Shias the only valid claims that they are the descendants of Muhammad.Today, the hatred of the radicals is transformed, as then, in murders " Sunni militant groups have been fed by the army as part of Pakistan's security policy. latter, originally used by the military and the secret services as assets in Afghanistan and Kashmir, Shias accuse of not being Muslims. After the 11-S, since the State has made ​​half-hearted attempts to stop them, have turned against the Pakistani Shia population with greater ferocity , "says Dayan Hasan. " We are in a state of siege, we can not move anywhere .'re being killed and no one to do anything, "laments the Hazara Democratic Party chairman, Khaliq Hazara , told the Pakistani daily The Express Tribune.Syed Sadiq Raza Taqvi , cleric in Karachi, warns: "We try to control our young people not to take revenge." In Quetta and Karachi, Shiite leaders urge them to exercise restraint and only buy weapons for their own defense.

Reviews for the ineffectiveness of Justice

Experts point out the influence of Saudi Arabia : "The Sunni extremist groups have long been supported by elements in Saudi Arabia, including the government itself," says HRW regional director. In this sense, Taqi remember the Saudis were the ideological and financial engine of jihad in Pakistan since its inception and, as far asIran , ruled by Shiites, denies it is supporting its minority in Pakistan, "for the simple and important reason that never a Shiite could rule here ... "he says. According to HRW, though authorities say they have arrested dozens of suspects since 2008, only a handful have been charged , and no one has been charged. " Pakistan goes through a difficult transition to democracy . was facing a security crisis and reeling under attacks by Al Qaeda, the Taliban and its affiliates. Shiites are occupying important positions in the government, but they and the same Executive has a limited ability to suppress militant groups or elements that support the military and intelligence agencies, "Dayan Hasan regrets. For its part, Pakistan insists: "We are a democratic and progressive working to protect human rights", in the words of Hina Rabbani Khar , before the Human Rights Council of the UN, collected by Reuters. From International Crisis Group stressed that the choice that Pakistan faces is not between the military and the mullahs, but between "true democracy and the alliance between the military and the mullahs, who is responsible for creating and sustaining religious extremism "said Samina Ahmed , director of the NGO in Islamabad.