Over the last five decades, Shia-majority tribes in Karam district, formerly a tribal agency, have resiliently resisted attempts to displace them from strategically vital areas. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Shia Pashtuns of Kurram District successfully thwarted Jihadists and Takfiris, preventing the transformation of these regions into a base camp for ‘global and regional’ terrorism. Despite facing the worst ethnic cleansing campaign, their steadfast resistance was crucial. Anticipating geopolitical shifts, the Pakistani establishment supported Jihadists and Takfiri militants, finding easy integration in Sunni-majority tribal areas of Kurram district. However, strong opposition in Shia-majority areas hindered their influence. Unfortunately, due to the establishment’s patronage, attacks on Shia Muslims persist, originating from bases established by Takfiri terrorists in Sunni-majority parts of Kurram district.
The situation in District Kurram has become a distressing parallel to the challenges faced in Gaza, particularly for Shia Muslims. The district, marred by ongoing violence and persecution, has earned the unfortunate label of “Neo-Gaza” for its Shia population. The region has become a focal point of targeted attacks and genocidal campaigns, echoing the struggles witnessed in other conflict-ridden areas. The comparison draws attention to the severity of the situation, emphasizing the urgent need for intervention and resolution to safeguard the lives and rights of Shia Muslims in District Kurram.
The genocide of Shia Muslim Pashtun tribes in Kurram District is a distressing part of a widespread persecution campaign initiated by Takfiri Deobandi extremist groups against Shia Muslims in South Asia.
Kurram district, a former tribal agency, stands out as one of the largest areas in Pakistan where Shia Muslims are subjected to an egregious genocidal persecution campaign. The toll of this relentless persecution has resulted in the eviction and killing of thousands of Shias in Kurram district, mirroring the plight of Shia communities in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts in KPK.
To learn about the historical background of the Shia Muslim Genocide in Kurram District (formerly a part of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas – FATA), please visit the following URLs:
Shia educational staff Massacre in Parachinar and state of Denial-SMG Report
Turi Bangash tribesmen rally against Parachinar Shia teachers’ killing
Teri Mengal High School Shooting was Incident of Shia Target Killing โ Ahmad Ijaz BBC Urdu
The recent besiegement of Shia Muslim Pashtuns in Kurram District by Takfiri terrorists highlights the continued use of the infamous weapon of blasphemy by Takfiri Deobandi extremists and the outlawed organization Ahlus Sunnat Wal Jamaat/Sipah Sahaba District Kurram. In just six days, 10 Shia Muslims in Kurram district were targeted for killing, with numerous others sustaining injuries. Takfiri terrorists have made it virtually impossible for Shia Muslims in Kurram district to traverse non-Shia areas. Even a convoy of two vehicles carrying Shia Muslims under police protection fell victim to an attack, resulting in the loss of two lives and injuries to six others.
Regrettably, the Urdu and English print and electronic media in Pakistan have, as usual, portrayed the recent wave of Shia genocide in Kurram district as a mere outcome of a dispute over ‘Shamlat lands’ between two tribes, obscuring the underlying Shia-genocidal nature of the violence.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1784394
This is not the first instance where mainstream media has downplayed or obfuscated the Shia-genocide in the Kurram district.
For example, โZara Hat Kayโ is the talk show, which is conducted on Dawn News tv channel. Zarrar Khuhro and Wusatullah Khan both had talked to Javed Hussain, correspondent of Dawn News tv channel at Parachinar on Chaos in Parachinar happened on July 2023.
In this talk show, both host journalists displayed a noticeable level of caution. Throughout the discussion, there was a deliberate omission of any reference to the fact that those responsible for targeting Shia Turi and Bangash Pashtun passengers from Parachinar in Tehsil Sadda, District Kurram Province, KPK, are affiliated with the Takfiri Deobandi terrorist organization Ahle-Sunnat-Wal-Jamaat-ASWJ. Correspondent Javed Hussain from Dawn News TV, seemingly practicing self-imposed censorship, also hesitated to explicitly use terms like ‘Genocide of Shia Muslims in District Kurram.’ However, he did provide subtle hints that strongly suggested the involvement of Takfiri Deobandi extremists in the genocide of Shia Muslims in Para Chinar.
Javed Hussain, a reporter from Dawn News TV based in Parachinar, expressed on ‘Zara Hat Kay’:
“People don’t desire bloodshed in the name of Sunni-Shia.”
When questioned by the program host about the source of this conflict, Javed Hussain replied, “People, especially Shia Muslims, have endured targeted killings for a century. The residents of Sadda (Sunni Muslims) approached the heavily armed individuals there, urging them to stop targeting Para Chinar residents in their name.”
Wasatullah Khan probed further to identify the forces perpetuating this cycle of war without explicitly naming them.
“The Joint Jirga has called on the administration to take action against those disrupting peace, engaging in repeated violence against Shia and Sunni communities. Despite repeated displays of white flags by both Shia and Sunni people, hostilities persist from the entrenched and fortified armed groups. Our former federal minister, Syed Sajid Hussain Turi, also calls for action against these forces opposing peace.”
In recent times, conflicts arising from disputes over ‘shamlat’ lands in Karam district have become opportunities for Takfiri extremists to transform them into Shia-Sunni clashes, leading to targeted killings of both communities. The banned organization Ahl-e-Sunnah Wal-Jamaat/Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan appears to be a key player in orchestrating a persecution campaign, specifically targeting Shia Muslims with a foundation of hatred and violence.
Eid Nazar Mangal Farooqui, the chief in Karam district, stands accused of inciting the slaughter of Shia Muslim educators and staff at Teri Mangal High School. On October 23, 2023, he released a highly inflammatory video speech on social media, employing the blasphemy card against Shia Muslims in Parachinar. In this speech, he made provocative and communal remarks against Shia Muslims, urging Sunni Muslims to wage a holy war against the residents of Parachinar. The video swiftly went viral on social media, exacerbating tensions.
The repercussions of Eid Nazar Mangal Farooqui’s divisive video speech unfolded tragically on October 24, 2023, just a day after its upload. Along the ‘Peshawar Nahar Road’ in Parachinar, a car came under gunfire, leading to the unfortunate demise of Muhammad Arif Hussain, a resident of Hussainabad in Parachinar who had recently returned from Qatar. Three of his friends also suffered injuries in this targeted attack, emphasizing that all victims in this incident were Shia.
Caption: “What sin did our father (Arif Hussain) commit? Why was he killed? We were eagerly anticipating his return after four years. He had not been living in Parachinar, so why was he punished?” lamented the innocent children of Arif Hussain.
On that fateful day, in Khariruddin, Shalozan Tangi, Tehsil Upper Kurram, two Shia laborers faced a brutal and targeted attack, resulting in their tragic deaths. Another laborer was injured as they arrived to collect sand using a tractor-trolley.
Then, on October 26, 2023, tragedy struck again when a convoy of two vehicles, escorted by police, came under attack in the Charkhel area of Lower Kurram. In this horrifying incident, four people lost their lives, and six others sustained injuries. The victims were members of the Shia Muslim community and belonged to the Turi tribe of Parachinar.
Numerous social media accounts on various platforms are disseminating hate speech directed specifically at Shi’a Muslims, with a particular focus on those residing in Kurram district and across Pakistan.
Social media accounts and pages affiliated with Takfiri-Fascist groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) are significantly contributing to the escalation of violent hatred and the surge in ‘Shia-targeted killing incidents,’ particularly in Kurram district and across KPK as a whole. These online platforms are actively propagating hate speech and inflaming Sunni-Muslim sentiments against Shi’a Muslims. Frequently, these pages, dedicated to promoting Shia phobia, employ the tool of blasphemy to incite animosity and violence among Sunni Muslims in Kurram District, further exacerbating the persecution campaign against the Shia population. The recent wave of Shia genocide in Karam district witnessed the weapon of blasphemy being wielded against the Shia Muslims of Para Chinar, intensifying the genocidal persecution.
Protest Against Shia Genocide in Parachinar: Uniting Voices for Justice and Peace
A video, depicting a Shia man from the Turi tribe in Dubai allegedly committing blasphemy and denouncing all Shia Muslims as infidels, was widely circulated on social media. The platforms involved included Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, YouTube, and WhatsApp, amplifying the reach of the content. Subsequently, extremist religious leaders with Shia-phobic tendencies from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) districts, particularly Kurram district, capitalized on the viral video. They delivered vehement communal speeches filled with hatred, which were then disseminated widely on social media. The increased sharing of these incendiary speeches correlated with a rise in attacks against Shia Muslims in Kurram district.
The recent spate of Takfiri terrorist attacks targeting Shia Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan has unfortunately gone unnoticed within the country’s political, religious, and civil society circles. The sensitivity and attention shown to the Shia-genocide in places like Parachinar and Dera Ismail Khan, particularly in comparison to the focus on ‘Gaza,’ have been markedly lacking. In these regions, an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing against Shia communities persists, leading to hundreds of households where all the men have fallen victim to targeted killings. The surviving members in these households are predominantly women and children, highlighting the large-scale forced eviction and the slow-genocide phenomenon faced by Shia Muslims.
Despite the gravity of the situation, mainstream intelligentsia consistently denies the existence of this slow-genocide of Shia Muslims. Shi’a-rights defender groups actively working in Pakistan emphasize that areas like Parachinar, Dera Ismail Khan, and Tank have transformed into hotspots for ethnic cleansing, resembling a ‘Gaza’ within ‘Pakistan’ for Shia Muslims. These regions have unfortunately become laboratories for the brutal persecution of Shia Muslims by Takfiri-Shia-Phobic extremists.
