Prime Minister Imran Khan met the founding team of popular Turkish drama serial Ertugrul on Thursday. Meanwhile, the families of the coal miners that were massacred by terrorists in Machh six days ago continue waiting for him to pay them a visit. PM can meet the Ertugrul team but not the Hazara protestors, people are now raising questions!
On Sunday, armed attackers slit the throats of 11 miners in a residential compound near a mine site in Balochistan’s Machh coalfield area. The gruesome attack was claimed by the militant Islamic State group.
Since then, thousands of Hazaras have staged a protest along with coffins containing the bodies in the western bypass area in Quetta. Moreover, the members of their community have also held protests in Karachi.
Despite extremely harsh weather as the mercury drops to below freezing point, the mourners, including women and children, have refused to leave until the prime minister meets them and the killers are brought to justice.
On Wednesday, PM Khan, in a series of tweets, said that he was aware of the Shia Hazara community’s “suffering & their demands”. He added that the government was taking steps to prevent such attacks in the future. Moreover, “our neighbor is instigating this sectarian terrorism.”
“I will never betray my people’s trust. Please bury your loved ones so their souls find peace,” the PM said.
In addition to this, several attempts were made to persuade the protesters to bury the bodies of the slain miners. Both the federal and provincial authorities tried to persuade them. However, the protesters refused to do so without having a meeting with the PM.
Six days are gone, and burial still awaits
As the Hazara protestors and the families of the victims waited, PM Khan went on to meet the founding team of Diriliş: Ertugrul in Islamabad.
It seems as though our beloved PM Khan has gotten his priorities straight. Meanwhile, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N Vice-President Maryam Nawaz also visited the Shia Hazara community to “show solidarity” with them.
The blatant ignorance of the premier’s irked many Pakistanis who took to social media to decry his priorities.
Twittersphere cries down the premier’s incompetency
“O people, be witnesses!! While 11 bodies have been waiting for the Prime Minister for burial for 5 days, Imran Khan was busy meeting the founding team of the well-known Turkish drama serial Ertugrul,” wrote one user.
“Prime Minister has the time to meet the founder of the Turkish drama serial Ertugrul, but not for the Hazara victims.”
Hazaras have been frequently targeted by Taliban, Islamic State militants, and other militant groups in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.
In 2013, three bombings killed more than 200 people in Hazara neighborhoods in Quetta.
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