Karachi: After over two days of nationwide protests, the bodies of 29 Shia Hazaras killed in a suicide attack in Pakistan were laid to rest on Friday after government assurances that the perpetrators of the assault would be brought to book.
The grieving minority community ended its sit-in protests in several cities late last night after Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan gave an assurance that a targeted operation would be launched against those who carried out the attack in Mastung district of Balochistan on Tuesday.
The victims were buried at two graveyard in the Hazara-dominated neighbourhoods of Alamdar Road and Hazara Town in Quetta, the capital of Balochistan.
A large number of women gathered to pay respect to the dead. Funeral prayers for the victims were offered at the Punjabi Imambargah.
Hazara community leader Abdul Khaliq Hazara announced the end of the sit-in protest in Quetta. Majlis-e-Wahadatul Muslimeen leader Raja Nasir Abbas announced that nationwide protests too would end.
The Interior Minister, who went to Quetta with Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid, described his talks with Hazara leaders as successful and said all their demands would be addressed.
"The terrorists cannot escape. We will go after the culprits and bring them to justice," he said.
The Hazara community had earlier refused to bury the victims and protests were organised in several cities, including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
Meanwhile, security forces detained at least three suspects during an operation in Kanak and Derringer areas of Mastung district this morning.
The operation was conducted by the Frontier Corps, police, Anti-Terrorism Force, Levies and Balochistan Constabulary. The troops were provided air cover by helicopters.
Shias, who make up around 20 per cent of Pakistan`s population of 180 million, have been repeatedly targeted by the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which claimed responsibility for Tuesday`s attack.
More than 400 Shias were killed in targeted attacks across Pakistan last year, Human Rights Watch said in a report this week.
