Stop Target Killing of Hazaras in Quetta

In the first 2 weeks in April, more than 29 members of the Hazara community in Quetta, Pakistan, were killed in separate incidences of ethnic violence and target killings. Many more were injured as shops, streets and cars were shot and burned. Men, women and children were among the victims. These deaths were but the latest in the wave of terror that has plagued the Hazara community in Pakistan for more than a decade. Over the last 10 years, over 600 Hazaras have been murdered, over 1000 have been permanently disabled by terrorist attacks and over half a million Hazaras continue to be terrorized on a daily basis. Still, the Pakistani government does nothing in protection of its citizens, and the Pakistani media blacks out the events in its reporting. Despite ongoing protests in many western countries including Australia, the international community remains silent on this issue. We, the signees of this petition, call upon our elected representatives in federal Parliament to raise this issue at the national level. The Australian Government, working in collaboration with their international counterparts, must apply pressure to the Pakistani establishment to immediately stabilize the situation and bring a quick cessation to the escalating violence in Quetta. Safety for Hazaras must be secured and a lasting solution to the issue formulated and implemented. As the situation in Quetta becomes more desperate, Hazaras of Quetta are increasingly finding that the only way to safe the lives of themselves and their families is to flee Pakistan and attempt the dangerous crossing to Australia as asylum seekers. Australia therefore has a vested interest to raise their voice in the protection of innocent people. Whilst the international community remains silent on this issue, Hazaras will continue to be targeted in acts of violence in Quetta. Innocent Hazara men, women and children will continue to be murdered on a daily basis. Silence and inaction on this issue will mean the decimation of a community. The Hazara community in Quetta needs immediate and decisive international action. Australia must lead this process.