Islamabad – Quetta Hazara Cluster
Audio Stories
Sakina – Quetta, Balochistan
Sajjad Asim – Quetta, Balochistan
Farheen – Quetta, Balochistan
Photo Stories
The Shia Hazara community in Quetta has endured targeted violence and persecution over the years. This violence has affected individuals across the spectrum, from politicians to street vendors, affecting men, women, and children. These events have instilled profound fear, anxiety, and frustration among community members, compelling many to leave Quetta for larger cities, particularly Karachi, Lahore, or Islamabad. However, the community found relocating to Lahore or Islamabad to be more convenient and safer.
Sajjad Asim is a youth activist from the Hazara community residing in Islamabad with his family. It has been over 7 years since he left Quetta, but he still worries about the safety and security of his family and community. He points out that the ghettoization of Quetta and the concept of "Othering" have had a lasting impact on their mental health. Many of the youth display visible signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. Anger and frustration have supplanted their once calm and composed demeanour.
According to Farheen, our people who are now living in Islamabad after being displaced from Quetta feel safer and more comfortable. They have also found the host communities to be friendly, which is a stark contrast to the challenges they faced in their hometown of Quetta.
Sajjad, a Shia Hazara from Quetta, opens up about the challenges, their close-knit community faces and adds, “We find it difficult to live in isolation. While some of our elders in Islamabad and Rawalpindi suggested the idea of creating a Hazara Town in Islamabad, most of us rejected it. Instead, we choose to live in clusters to reduce the risk of becoming easy targets for violence. However, this comes at a cost – our safety. As a result, our children are slowly losing touch with the rich Hazargi culture, our language, our traditional foods, and, most importantly, the wisdom of our elders."
The 2017 report from the National Commission for Human Rights revealed a grim statistic – at least 509 members of the Hazara community lost their lives in Pakistan between 2011 and 2017. Farheen, who is pursuing her MPhil at a university in Islamabad, reflects on the experiences of Shia Hazaras from Quetta: "We constantly sense the hostility from non-Hazara communities, making us feel like a security threat. This hostile environment significantly restricted our opportunities for employment and education back in Quetta. For the sake of our future, many of us found it easier to leave our homes and settle in unfamiliar territory."
The majority of Hazara community members believe that the government and institutions have turned a blind eye to their community's grievances, particularly concerning the Frontier Corps (FC) checkpoints at all the entry and exit points of Shia Hazara neighbourhoods in Quetta. Sakina, who is pursuing her PhD at a university in Islamabad, adds, "No one wants to leave their city and the place of their birth. However, we've been ghettoized and marginalized to such an extent that we've even begun to fear our own shadows. The FC checkpoints have only constrained our mobility instead of fulfilling their intended purpose of protecting us."
Sakina relocated to Islamabad to further her education after her sister was injured in a 2012 attack on a university bus transporting Shia Hazara students. She claims that neither she nor anyone else in her community understood the terms anxiety, depression, panic attack, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or even mental health. "My sister's fear related to loud noises, bumpy roads, and the outside world, even long after the blast, was difficult for us to comprehend," she adds. I didn't find out about it until the epidemic in 2020 when people started talking about mental health."
The Hazara community members who have found their new home in Islamabad embarked on a journey marked by resilience, determination, and a yearning for education and often choose to live in clusters, as compared to settlements like the ones back in their hometown, Quetta. While they may not fit the traditional definition of "displaced," their move from Hazara Town in Quetta and Mariiaabad was driven by a powerful desire for safety and the pursuit of higher education. This journey, however, was marred by the shadow of persecution that has plagued their community for years, particularly in Quetta.
One of the driving factors behind the Hazara community's relocation to Islamabad was the pursuit of higher education. In Quetta, it had become increasingly difficult for them to access education outside the confines of their communities. The student buses carrying Hazara students were frequently targeted, making the journey to educational institutions a perilous one. This climate of fear and insecurity forced many young Hazaras to seek alternatives for pursuing their dreams of education.
The recent wave of persecution against the Hazara people in Quetta added urgency to their decision to move. Over the years, the Hazara community in Quetta has faced relentless violence and persecution primarily due to their Shia faith. Extremist groups have targeted them in numerous deadly attacks, resulting in the loss of countless lives and a constant atmosphere of fear and insecurity.
The decision to leave their familiar neighbourhoods in Quetta and Mariiaabad was not taken lightly. It was a response to the ongoing threats and risks they faced in their native regions. The Hazara community's move to Islamabad was not about abandoning their roots but about seeking safety and opportunities that were increasingly elusive in Quetta.
Upon their arrival in Islamabad, the Hazara community encountered a relatively more welcoming environment compared to the hostile conditions they had left behind. They did not face significant challenges in terms of housing or resettlement, but the burden of high rents remains a pressing concern for some families.
Despite finding refuge in Islamabad, the Hazara community grapples with the fear of losing their cultural identity. Approximately 400 families have relocated to the city, but they live in relative isolation from one another. Unlike their close-knit communities in Quetta and Mariiaabad, these families are dispersed, and their children are growing up in unfamiliar conditions, often not speaking their native Hazargi language or enjoying their traditional cuisines. The factors of displacement, compounded by the trauma of persecution, continue to affect their daily lives.
The Hazara community's story is one of resilience, determination, and the enduring impact of persecution. Their journey from Quetta and Mariiaabad to Islamabad reflects the profound challenges they have faced, both in their native regions and as they seek safety and educational opportunities in a new city. It is a testament to their strength that they continue to strive for a better future, despite the obstacles they have encountered.
The Hazara community's experience of violence and persecution in Quetta is well-documented, with numerous attacks targeting them due to their Shia faith. These acts of violence have claimed many lives and left the community in a state of constant fear and insecurity. The Hazara community's decision to leave their homes and seek refuge in Islamabad is a response to this ongoing threat, highlighting the urgent need for recognition and support to help them rebuild their lives while preserving their unique culture and identity.