Attack on imambargah leaves 54 dead and 55 injured in Quetta
04-7-2003

QUETTA, July 4: At least 44 people were killed and 65 injured in an attack on an imambargah in the heart of the city during Friday prayers. It is generally thought to be a suicide attack which is seen as lending a frightening new dimension to such incidents in the country.

The identity or the number of attackers could not be confirmed immediately, although one of them was said to have been killed in an exchange of gunfire.

The massacre was followed by angry demonstrations and rioting that led to the imposition of a curfew in the city. The Frontier Corps was called out, and there were incidents of firing to quell enraged protesters.

On June 8, 11 police recruits from the Hazara tribe were killed in an attack on their bus, precipitating tension the city.

The incident took place in the imambargah situated on MeCongy Road when people were offering the Juma prayers.

According to reports, three attackers entered the imambargah from the MeCongy Road gate. Two entered the main hall where the Juma congregation was in progress.

The two assailants carrying automatic weapons opened indiscriminate fire on the people. They continued firing for over 10 minutes. In the meanwhile, a powerful bomb exploded outside the main hall, killing the suicide bomber and many other people offering prayers.

After carrying out the attack, the two assailants came out of the main hall and tried to flee. A local journalist, Riaz, tried to overpower them. However, he was shot dead.

In the meanwhile, private guards of the imambargah opened fire on the attackers. One of the attackers was killed on the spot while the other received injuries. He later died in the hospital.

"I was offering prayers in the front row when the firing began. I saw two men firing on the faithful," Mehmood Hussain told Dawn at the CMH Quetta.

"The firing lasted for over ten minutes," Mr Hussain said, and added that he later heard an explosion outside the main hall.

Another eyewitness Khan Ali said: "I was praying outside the main hall where a bomb was exploded and I saw many disfigured bodies."

The son-in-law of Syed Ahmed Raza, Controller Dawn Balochistan, Special Assistantat Dawn's marketing section in Quetta Walayat Hussain and his brother-in-law Tanzeem Hussain were also killed in the incident.

Angry people took to the streets afterwards and set on fire around two dozen vehicles. The also attacked and damaged many private and government building, including the casualty ward of the Civil Hospital where the victims were taken.

The injured were later shifted to the Combined Military Hospital.Soon after the incident thousands of people belonging to the Hazara tribe rushed to the Civil Hospital. They blocked the main Jinnah Road and started pelting vehicles with stones and also targeted police.

The protesters moved to different areas of the city and set ablaze private and government vehicles, including two fire tenders. They smashed window-panes of shops, banks and other government and private buildings. Two banks were also set on fire. Some of the protesters also fired shots. They also tried to attack police vehicles in different areas.

A section of the mob also attacked a madressah in Marriabad area and set it on fire. However, army personnel and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene and saved the lives of around 360 students. Over two dozen students fell unconscious due to suffocation.

The army has taken position in different areas and the situation is under control now, the Quetta Nazim said.

The army and the Frontier Corps were patrolling the city and people were asked to stay indoors.

The deceased were identified as Walayat Hussain, Asim Ali, Tanzeem Haider, Syed Mohammad Naqi, Ramzan Ali, Mohammad Mehdi, Munir Ahmed, Ijaz Hussain, Mohammad Hussain, Syed Baqir Raza, Mohammad Ayub, Mohammad Hasan, Sadat Ali, Haji Abdul Wahid, Syed Raza, Rajab Ali, Tasuwwar Abbas, Mustafa Zafar Haider, Mohammad Latif, Haider Ali, Mehdi, Haji Ghulam Mohammad, Mohammad Kashif, Mohammad Younus, Zawar, Mohammad Naqi, Muzaffar Ali and Nazar Hussain.

The identity of the rest of the deceased could not be ascertained.The injured were identified as Mubarak Ali, Hazarat Khan, Naib Ali, Hasan Reza, Ali Reza, Syed Kazim, Safdar Ali, Saifullah, Fateh, Mohammad Mohsin, Syed Ahmed Shah, Liaquat, Basit Ali, Kamal Ali, Mohammad Waseem, Mohammad Zahid, Sajid, Mohammad Ali, Ghulam Abbas, Samiullah, Mohsin Ali, Asharf Ali, Hasan Raza, Mohammad Younus, Shaukat Ali, Syed Zakir Hussain, Riaz Hussain, Mohammad Yasin, Abdul Shakoor, Nooruddin, Mahmood, Khair Hussain, Mohammad Younus, Ali Abid, Master Ali Reza, Mohammad Baqir, Syed Reza Hussain, Moheem Hussain, Ahmed Ali, Nazir Abbas, Murtaza, Saifullah, Afzal, Sher and Tanvir

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32 buried amid tight security: Death toll rises to 53
05-7-2003

QUETTA, July 5: Amid tight security, 32 victims of Friday's bombing and firing at the Hazara Imambargah were laid to rest in the Marriabad graveyard here on Saturday in the presence of thousands of mourners.

The authorities relaxed curfew restrictions for the people in the Hazara locality in order for mourners to attend the funeral prayers. The situation in the area was tense, but no untoward incident was reported.

The bodies of other people who died in the tragic incident were sent to their areas for burial.

The Combined Military Hospital handed over 35 bodies to their relatives late on Friday night which were taken to different imambargahs in the city.

The final death-toll in the attack - one of the most vicious of its kind - was put at 53 by the Edhi Foundation, and 44 by the home department.

Thousands of people belonging to the Hazara tribe and other communities were present during the burial of the victims. Emotional scenes were witnessed during the funeral.

The authorities had deployed a heavy contingent of troops around the graveyard, cordoning off the whole area since Friday night.

The administration had requested the elders of the tribe to cooperate by refraining from taking out processions or delivering speeches during the funeral, and the requests were observed.

The authorities allowed the people to come out of their houses during the curfew break from 1pm to 6pm. All the main bazaars were opened and flooded with people as Quetta struggled to make sense of Friday's tragedy. A sombre mood prevailed among the shoppers in the bazaars.

Army troops and personnel of other law enforcement agencies kept a watchful eye at the main roundabouts.

People on daily wages have been badly hit, and do not know when the situation will return to normal.

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Quetta tragedy: killers identified as LJ activists
15-7-2003

KARACHI: The Quetta carnage was carried out by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LJ), a banned militant outfit, as two of the three bodies of the terrorists who were also killed in the attack have been identified as those of the LJ activists, The News has learnt reliably.

On July 4, three men armed with rifles and grenades attacked the Friday congregation at an Imambargah in Quetta, killing 53 worshippers. The assailants were also killed in the attack. A senior police official told The News on condition of anonymity that the deceased terrorists have been identified as Asghar and Omar - both activists of LJ - and they have been identified with the help of a team of Karachi police.

He said: "We have developed some leads after the identification of the two deceased terrorists involved in the Quetta tragedy and soon we will manage to arrest those who were behind this incident."

Terming the identification of the terrorists a breakthrough in the investigation, the official said teams of Crime Investigation Department (CID), Punjab, Anti-Terrorism Wing of Karachi police, and Balochistan police jointly raided several places in the city in search of the suspected mastermind of the Quetta incident belonging to the LJ.

"After their identification as LJ terrorists, we believe that the sectarian hatred was the prime motive behind the Quetta massacre," said another official who asked not to be named. IGP Balochistan Dr Shoaib Suddle was reluctant to confirm the identification of the killers. When contacted by phone, he said: "Investigations are underway, and I will give details hopefully on Wednesday (today)."

However, it has been learnt that a special team of Karachi police had gone to Quetta to help the Balochistan police. The team, which was headed by a SSP, reportedly identified the two bodies as that of the activists of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

Talking to The News, DIG Investigation Fayyaz Leghari said: "A team of Karachi police is in Quetta, and we are coordinating with the Balochistan police in connection with the July 4 incident."

Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the July 4 attack
16-7-2003

QUETTA, July 16: The banned Lashkar-i-Jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the July 4 attack on the imambargah, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported on Wednesday.

According to BBC, the claim was made in a letter and a video tape sent to its correspondent in Quetta.

Three men on the tape admit that they belong to the group of extremist Sunnis. They resembled the suicide bombers in photographs released by police after the attack, BBC's Urdu-language broadcast said.

It said only the youngest among them spoke on the tape, railing against the Shias for 10 minutes.

BBC said the letter was written after the July 4 attack in what was believed to be a message to President Pervez Musharraf, the United States and Iran.

More than 50 people were killed and 65 were injured in the attack on the imambargah on July 4, 2003.

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Balochistan opposition terms terrorist incidents failure of govt
25-7-2003

QUETTA: Amidst uproar in Balochistan Assembly on Friday, the opposition benches moved joint adjournment motion regarding law and order situation in the province, with particularly reference to recent terrorist acts of June 8, June 9 and July 4, and demanded of the government to ensure security to the life and property of the citizens. Deputy Speaker Muhammad Aslam Bhootani was in the chair.

Moving the adjournment motion in the House, the opposition leader Kachkol Ali Baloch of Balochistan National Movement (BNM) observed that the incidents of terrorism proved failure of the provincial government and intelligence agencies as more than 55 worshipers were killed on July 4, in an attack on Imambargah. The minister of home had to resign consequently, he added. He strongly criticised those Madaris (religious schools) where terrorists were being trained.

Minister of Law Mir Abdul Rahman Jamali of PML-QA opposed the motion, saying the government has constituted a tribunal to look into the matter and under Section 73 of the Assembly Rules and Regulations, the matter could not be discussed. The Chair admitted the adjournment and allowed the treasury and opposition benches to debate on the motion.

Opening debate on the motion, Akbar Mengal of Balochistan National Party (BNP-Mengal) put the blame of July 4, incident on agencies, and alleged that they were attempting to pit one tribe against the other in the province. He strongly condemned the terrorist acts. Taking part in the debate, Shafiq Ahmed Khan of PPPP observed that law and order situation started to deteriorate in Balochistan after India established it consulates in Afghanistan and Iran.

He said, "I was offering my Namaz-e-Juma in a mosque in front of the Imambargah when terrorists attacked at around 1:47pm and police reached on the spot at 2:12pm."

Khan was of the view that law and order situation would not improve unless the anti-smuggling agencies were reactivated in the province.

"The recent seizure of arms and ammunition in Dasht area of district Mastung has proved that Balochistan is on the heap weapons," he added asked: "How could the arms and ammunition smuggled and dumped in Dasht area after smuggling from Afghanistan and crossing several check posts of the anti-smuggling agencies?"

Abdul Rahim Ziaratwal of Pakhtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) also spoke on the occasion. He held that the interior and foreign policy of the country was responsible for the deteriorating situation. "We are not enjoying good relations with our neighbouring countries," he pointed out

Jaffar Khan Mandokhel of the PML-QA said. "Law and order is better in Balochistan compared to other parts of the country. But the government should take all necessary steps to uproot the recent wave of terrorism as deployment of para-military troops in front of mosques or Imambargahs for few days is not a solution." He remarked that there is no Shia or Sunni issue in the province.

He stressed the need that the government should restore its writ in the province and in this connection it should inform the federal government that in view of the particular situation in a tribal society like Balochistan there is need for assessment of power between provincial and district governments.

Akhtar Husain Lango of the BNP-Mengal suggested that the government and its agencies should not interfere in the affairs of the neighbouring countries. The Afghan policy and recent terrorist acts in the province were the results of our "wrong" foreign policy, he remarked. He demanded of the government to adopt necessary steps in order to curb the smuggling of arms from Afghanistan.

Winding up the debate, Senior Minister Maulana Abdul Wasay observed that the government should discourage the terrorism and it is its constitutional obligation to provide security to the life and property of the citizens. He appreciated the role of Shia Ulema saying they had played an important role in defusing tension in the province.

He said, "Maintenance of law and order is our responsibility and if the government remained delinquent we should beg forgiveness of Allah and ensure that such incident is not repeated in future." Maulana Wasay continued: "No sane person could commit such a crime of killing worshipers during prayers. No religious could permit it. If the opposition members table any resolution and proposals to ensure peace and harmony in the province, the treasury benches would fully support them." Later, the deputy speaker adjourned the House till Monday 10:30am.

Names of imambargah firing victims, legal heirs announced
29-7-2003

QUETTA, July 29: The home and tribal affairs department of Balochistan on Tuesday announced the names of 38 persons killed in the terrorist attack here on an imambargah on July 4, along with the names of their legal heirs.

In case of any objection to these names, the people can submit applications to the SP city and executive district officer revenue.

The names of the victims and their heirs, in brackets, are included: Saadat Hussain, son of Haji Abdullah, (Qadeer Hussain, brother); Ali Ahmed, son of Mohammad Sharaf, (Mohammad Aslam, brother); Qurban Ali, son of Ali Shafa, (Haji Ewaz Ali, uncle); Tanveer Abbas, son of Mureed Hussain, (Sabiha Begum, widow); Ejaz Ali, son of Ghulam Hussain, (Ghulam Hussain, father); Abdul Wahid, son of Ghulam Hussain, (Anees Gul, widow); Asim Ali, son of Ali Jumma, (Mariam, mother); Tassawar Abbas, son of Ishfaq Hussain, (Ishfaq Hussain, father); Salim Khan, son of Mirza Gul Bangush, (Riaz Ali, son); Sheikh Nazar Hussain, son of Sheikh Mazhar Ali, (Qaiser Shehzadi, widow); Mohammad Naqi, son of Sheikh Zawar Hussain, (Qaiser Shehzadi, mother); Mirza Riaz Hussain, son of Mirza Hussain Jan, (Mirza Shehzad Hussain, brother); Kashif Raza, son of Ghulam Nabi, (Abdul Hussain, brother); Walayat Hussain, son of Mir Fazal Hussain, (Syeda Tahira Batool, widow); Syed Baqar Raza, son of Syed Amir Hussain Shah Kazmi, (Syed Amir Hussain Kazmi, father); Sheikh Mazhar Ali, son of Sheikh Ramzan Ali, (Munawar Sultana, widow); Syed Tanzeem Haider, son of Syed Zulfiqar Haider, (Perveen Akhtar, widow); Mohammad Ali, son of Lal Mohammad, (Hidayat Bibi, widow); Zawar Hussain, son of Atta Mohammad, (Ghulam Raza, nephew); Ghulam Haider, son of Safdar Ali, (Ali Jumma, brother); Ali Akbar, son of Mohammad Yaqoob, (Pari Gul, mother); Mohammad Yaqoob, son of Mohammad Ali, (Pari Gul, widow); Qurban Ali, son of Ghulam Rasool, (Sharifa, widow); Haji Abdul Wahid, son of Abdul Ali, (Najeeba-widow); Rajab Ali, son of Mohammad Ali, (Mohammad Ali, father); Haji Ghulam Mohammad, son of Ali Shafa, (Alia Bibi, widow); Akhlaq Hussain, son of Sher Khan, (Hazara Begum, widow); Mohammad Mehdi, son of Ghulam Hussain, (Ghulam Hussain, father); Qamar Abbas, son of Mohammad Ibrahim, (Ghulam Abbas, brother); Syed Mustafa Haider, son of Syed Ilyas Haider, (Syed Ilyas Haider, father); Mohammad Hussain, son of Abdul Hussain, (Abdul Hussain, father); Syed Younus, son of Syed Ismail Shah, (Bibi Masooma, widow); Asif Ali, son of Ghulam Hassan, (Amna, mother); Mohammad Ibrahim, son of Jan Ali, (Jan Ali, father); Ali Aswad, son of Safdar Ali, (Mohammad Ayub, brother); Syed Mohammad Naqi, son of Syed Mohammad Taqi, (Bibi Noor Zehra, widow); Ramzan Ali, son of Sarwar Ali, (Tayyaba, widow) and Haider Ali, son of Ghulam Shah, (Saadat Ali, son). -APP

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Quetta carnage culprits identified, says Faisal
30-7-2003

KARACHI, July 30: Federal Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat has revealed that the main culprits involved in the carnage in an Imambargah in Quetta about a month back have been identified and a majority of them rounded up.

"The cause of this incident has also been sorted out and the credit goes to the Intelligence agencies which accomplished the task with their excellent professional competence and hard work," he remarked while responding to newsmen's queries during his visit to the office of Citizen-Police Liaison Committee (CPLC) at Governor House here on Wednesday.

The minister said that no government could provide 100% security to all its citizens against any subversive activity or act of terrorism.

In response to a question, he claimed that leaving aside the Quetta carnage, overall law and order situation in the country was quite satisfactory as, unlike past, no sect or religion-related incident had been reported from any part of the country.

He said that the government stood firm in its resolve to ensure better security to the masses as prevalence of peace and harmony would ultimately spur economic activities in the country which would help generate employment opportunities for an overwhelming number of the jobless.

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Demo against Quetta killings
09-8-2003

QUETTA: Hundreds of demonstrators staged a protest rally here on Friday to demand the capture of the perpetrators of a massive attack at an Imambargah that killed 48 people last month. The rally was staged after Friday prayers at the mosque where three suicide bombers carried out the July 8 attack, in which more than 50 people were also injured. The demonstrators chanted slogans against sectarian terrorism and called to forged unity. Heavy cordons of paramilitary troops and police guarded the protest, said an official in Quetta. Investigators have identified the three bombers but have yet to determine who was responsible for one of the worst incidents of sectarian terrorism.



Quetta carnage case referred to ATC: CM
15-8-2003

QUETTA: Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Muhammad Yusuf has disclosed that the case of July 4, incident, which claimed over 50 precious lives, would be referred to the Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC).Talking to newsmen soon after the flag hoisting ceremony at the Provincial Assembly, the chief minister said that most of the accused involved in Quetta carnage of July 4, had been apprehended and the remaining would also be netted soon. He said the culprits involved in bomb blast and rocket firing at Quetta would also be arrested soon. Commenting on firing incidents at Pak-Afghan border and kidnapping of three FC men, the chief minister replied that the federal government had taken up the matter with the Afghan government. He added that the border of Pakistan along Afghanistan would soon be sealed so as to check illegal movement. To a query regarding provision of jobs to the heirs of the retired and deceased employees in the Gas Company in Sui area, the CM said he would talk with the prime minister over the issue in Islamabad and hoped that the matter would be resolved.

Imambargah attackers sentenced to 5 years
09-11-2003

QUETTA, Nov 7: Anti-Terrorist Court Quetta Judge Mohammad Shaukat Rakhshani has convicted seven proclaimed absconders in absentia for five years imprisonment each allegedly involved in the attacks on June 8 and July 4 incidents that claimed about 65 lives.

The court here on Friday under the Anti-terrorist Act clause 21-L sentenced accused Shafiq Rind and Usman Saifullah for five years in the case for attacking the van which was carrying the police trainees on Sariab Road on June 8 in which 12 trainees were killed.

Five suspects of July 4 incident for attack on Imambargah Daud Badani, Ziaul Haq, Usman Saifullah, Malik Ishaq, and Dr Munir were also sentenced for five years.

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Anniversary of massacre observed
4-7-2003

QUETTA, July 4: The first anniversary of the Imambargah Nechari massacre was observed here on Sunday. Over 40 people, including Walayat Hussain, the marketing executive of Dawn, Quetta office , his father and brother-in-law were killed when three armed men opened fire and exploded bombs during Friday prayers in Jaima Masjid Hazara Kalan one year ago.

Around 60 people were injured in the incident. The All Pakistan Shia Action Committee made special arrangements at Imambargah Nichari. After fateha and Qurankhwani, ulema spoke on the philosophy of martyrdom in Islam.

They said that the government should punish elements involved in terrorism and expose them in the public. They said that many people were maimed and disabled in the and now they were not able to earn for their families.

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