BALOCHISTAN - SHI'A HAZARA PARTY LEADER SLAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KARACHI 000042

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/07/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL PTER SOCI PK
SUBJECT: BALOCHISTAN - SHI'A HAZARA PARTY LEADER SLAIN

REF: KARACHI 26

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY CONSUL GENERAL STEPHEN FAKAN, REASONS 1.4
(b) AND (d).

Summary:
--------------


1. (SBU) Sunni extremists purportedly from the
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi terrorist organization claimed credit for
killing the Chair of the Hazara Democratic Party in Quetta on
January 26. This marks the third prominent assassination of
members of the minority Shi'a community in January, the
latest in what Hazara community leaders claim is an upsurge
in sectarian violence in the city. Baloch nationalists and
Hazara leaders have accused security forces and the GOP of
providing lax protection and even abetting the killers.
Police officials deny this and point out that they have also
been targeted and that sectarian violence has increased since
the escape of two Lashkar-e-Jhangvi leaders from jail in 2008.

Shi'a Political Party Leader Killed
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2. (C) On January 26, motorcycle borne gunmen assassinated
Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Chair Ghulam Hussain outside of
his travel agency on Dr. Bano Road in Quetta. The attack
comes after a January 14 killing of four Hazara police
officers and the wounding of three others in Quetta (reftel)
by unknown assailants.

Extremist Group Claims Credit
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3. (C) As in the January 14 attack, a self-described
representative of the banned religious extremist
organization, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, called the Quetta Press Club
to claim responsibility. (Note: Lashkar-e-Jhangvi,
designated a terrorist organization by both the USG and the
GOP, has been linked to a number of terrorist attacks in
Pakistan, including the 1997 killing of four American oil
workers in Karachi, the 2002 murder of Daniel Pearl, the 2002
killing of 11 French workers, and the 2002 International
Church bombing in Islamabad. End comment.)

Riots, Protests Follow Assassination
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4. (C) Ejaz Ahmed, a Quetta journalist, told Post that
hundreds of protestors took to the streets of downtown Quetta
after the killing, effectively shutting down businesses
there. They burned a bank building and several automobiles
and motorcycles before police firing teargas dispersed the
mob. Frontier Corps troops later took charge of security in
the city, which was relatively calm on January 27. However,
many shops in the Hazara section remained shuttered to
protest the killing.

Accusations Fly
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5. (C) HDP General Secretary Abdul Khaliq blamed the GOP for
failing to provide adequate security. He emphasized that HDP
Chair Hussain had been killed by religious extremists and
accused security officials of supporting the attack.
Balochistan National Party (BNP) Secretary General Habib
Jalib went further and claimed the GOP had abetted the
extremists in an attempt to destabilize the provincial
government with an end goal of promoting Taliban rule and
undermining the Baloch nationalist movement. (Comment:
Baloch political leaders routinely accuse GOP officials of
conspiring with religious extremists, often without evidence.
End comment.)


6. (C) Quetta Superintendent of Police Naseebullah Kakar
countered that police officials have also been targeted by
the extremists. He noted that sectarian violence had
increased since the escape from the Quetta Anti-Terrorist
Force jail by two prominent Lashkar-e-Jhangvi leaders, Usman
Saifullah and Shafiqur Rehman, in January 2008.

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7. (C) Razq Wajeek, General Secretary of Balochistan
Anjuman-e-Tajiran (a Hazara business association),told Post
that terrorist leader Saifullah routinely sends signed
threats to targeted Hazaras. Wajeek said killings of Hazaras
over the past year, 25 by his estimate, have escalated since
the end of Ramadan.

Comment
--------------


8. (C) The Hazaras have roots in Afghanistan and make up
around 170,000 of Balochistan's estimated 6.7 million
inhabitants. They have established a reputation as a
relatively educated and affluent minority in Quetta. Their
distinctive features differentiate them from the local
population making them easy targets.


9. (C) This marks the third prominent killing of Hazaras in
January (reftel). Sunni militants, who regard the Shi'a as
heretics, have clashed violently with them in the past. The
recent killings could be indicative of an increase in Sunni
militant activity in Balochistan (Shi'as are often the first
group targeted by Sunni extremists) aimed at fomenting
sectarian strife, or they could have a totally unrelated
origin. As in the case of the attack against Hazara police
officers described in reftel, this assassination was a
particularly bold and appears to be a direct challenge to
civil authority in the province's capital city. If sectarian
violence continues to escalate, it could morph into violent
conflict between the two religious sects.
FAKAN