QUETTA: Majlis Wahdat Muslimeen (MWM) leader Maulana Amen Shaheedi has announced an end to sit-ins being staged across Pakistan after the government representatives reached an agreement with Quetta sit-in participants on Tuesday, Dispatch News Desk (DND) reported. Around 300 people of Hazara Shia community have been killed during the last 2 months by terrorists belonging to Taliban backed purists Islamists who believe that Shia are non-muslims and must be killed.
A six-member parliamentary delegation appointed by the federal government held negotiations with the sit-in participants today and accepted most of their demands, with the notable exception of calling in the army in Quetta, after which nationwide protests were called off.
The protesters’ demand at all these places was the same: Call in the army in Quetta and take immediate action against the extremist militant group, Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, which in recent months has played havoc with Shias, mainly the peaceful Hazara community of Balochistan, through a string of attacks.
“All our demands have been accepted by the government,” Maulana Shaheedi told reporters.
Meanwhile, chief of Hazara community Sardar Saadat Hazar announced that the victims would be buried tonight or tomorrow.
Following the announcement of Maulana Shaheedi, Yakjehti Council, Shia Ulema Council and other Shia groups also announced ending the sit-ins.
Thousands of Hazara men, women and children had continued their protest sit-in for the third consecutive day. They had refused to bury those who died in Saturday’s explosion on Kirani Road, HazaraTown, unless action was taken against the perpetrators.
Speaking on this occasion, Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said that a targeted operation was under way since Monday night. Four terrorists were killed and 170 were arrested by security agencies, he said. He said that the targeted operation would continue till the arrest of all culprits.
The government team comprised of Federal Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, PPP MNA Mir Hazar Khan Bijarani, PPP MNA Nadeem Afzal Chan, PPP Senator Sughra Imam, PPP MNA Yasmeen Rehman and Federal Minister for Political Affairs Maula Bakhsh Chandio.
DND
