Challenges of Hazara community in Pakistan

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 3 : The Hazara community in Pakistan has been facing numerous challenges since time immemorial as violence, an inactive economy, lack of opportunities, and discrimination is faced by them, Dawn Newspaper reported.

The surge in sectarian violence and targeted attacks against the community have impacted the education of the people.

Even leaving their neighbourhoods in quest of better work possibilities in other areas of the city, let alone other parts of the country, appears to have the potential to be a matter of life or death for the Hazara population.

Several members of the Hazara community have lived in the West for many years due to the long-term out-migration that has been occurring among this group.

Social activist Naimatullah Hazara has harsh words to say about how the appropriate authorities have failed to protect and support the Hazara minority.

Naimatullah berates the authorities for doing nothing for the Hazara population, saying, "We, the Hazaras, live in two barracks." It is not unexpected that ladies like Shahida Raza and many young children are prepared to grasp onto any means by which they can migrate because our youth and seniors feel suffocated, insecure, and depressed, Dawn quoted Naimatullah as saying.

Although sectarian attacks may not be occurring as frequently as they did a few years ago in Quetta and Balochistan, the fear of violence is still very much a reality.

The situation of the Hazara in Pakistan is dire and continues to be exacerbated by the critical situation in Afghstan. The Hazara in Pakistan are subjected to discrimination, persecution and social exclusion that have a profound effect on the community and its future.

Earlier in February, Hazara Committee in the UK released a report that reveals the atrocities faced by the community in Pakistan.

"Today, we launched the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Hazaras, the Hazara Inquiry Reports and the joint recommendation from the Hazara Inquiry," read Hazara Committee in UK Facebook post.

The Hazara have suffered from extensive persecution and discrimination in Pakistan, which has been compounded by the August 2021 Taliban takeover in neighbouring Afghstan, read The Hazara Inquiry report.

The persecution of the Hazara in Pakistan is believed to have intensified during General Zia-ul-Haq's tenure as president from the late 1970s to the 1980s, which was marked by a rise in violent sectarism. Persecution of the Hazara in Pakistan occurs within the country and at its border.

The Hazara face persecution in Pakistan, ranging from, 'facing enormous difficulties in exercising their fundamental rights to having limited social opportunities due to fear of violence, read Hazara Inquiry report.'

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