2013 started in Pakistan with dead bodies on the road, people protesting against their genocide, masses coming out to protest against the government, tension on LoC and more killings of people of Pakistan.
Quetta bombings were the first of the series of mishaps, killing over 100 people. Most of them were from Shia Hazara community. Hazara community has lost over 1100 members in the past year in bomb blasts and target killings. Relatives of the dead put the dead bodies on the road in protest and demanded the dismissal of the government in Balochistan. They also demanded that security of Quetta city should be handed over to Paksitan Army as police and FC have failed to provide security to the residents of Quetta.
Members of Hazara community were protesting with 83 dead bodies which they refused to bury until their demands are met. The govt. initially neglected the protest but when the civil society started protests all over Pakistan, Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced Governor Rule in Balochistan. The dead were laid to rest after 4 days of protest.
This protest was first of its kind in Pakistan where the relatives refused to bury their loved ones and continued to protest in the freezing weather until their demands were met.
While this protest continued, Maulana Tahir ul Qadri, a Canadian national mullah, who had announced a Long March to over throw the government, took the center stage. Qadri claims that the government (PPP) and opposition party (PML-N) have joined hands to rig the upcoming election and that the election commission is ineffective and politicised. Qadri claimed that over 4 million people will gather at D-Chowk, Islamabad and will make it "Tahrir Square" of Pakistan. After traveling for over 36 hours, Qadri reached Islamabad where thousands of supporters were there to support him. His stage was initially set on Jinnah Ave, but he refused to accept it and asked his supporters to move the stage to D-Chowk which is in fornt of the Parliament in the Red Zone. During this police resisted and there was some aerial firing by the police as well. The stage for the protest is now set near D-Chowk and thousands of people are still staging a sit-in and waiting for orders from their leader.
Mr. Qadri's demands include electoral reforms within the Law and Constitution, dissolution and reformation of Election Commission of Pakistan, dissolution of all assemblies and a fair caretaker government.
Addressing from a bullet proof cabin, Qadri claims that they are ready to sacrifice lives for their cause. He has twice requested Chairman Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf, Imran Khan, to join him. PTI refused to join the Long March and sit-in, even though they partially support TuQ agenda. Till last reports, Qadri is still staging the protest and is determined to continue till his demands are met.
In the mean while, Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry ordered NAB to arrest all the accused in Rental Power Project including Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.
Due to the timing of this decision, some speculated that there could be a relation between this order and TuQ's Long March. These speculations were later on dismissed by the CJ.
Prime Minister is not arrested yet and it is believed that today Chairman NAB give reasons in Supreme Court of Pakistan for not taking action against the PM.
In a twist of events, hundreds of protesters from Khyber Agency also staged a sit-in protest along with 13 dead bodies in front of Governor House, Peshawar. 18 bullet- riddled bodies of local people belonging to 3 different families were found in different areas of Bara Tehil. They accused the security forces of the killing and demanded that Bara operation must be stopped. KPK Governor, Masood Kausar while speaking to the media after a jirga with the tribesmen said that 7 lakh rupees each would be provided as compensation to the deceased's family and 4 lakh ruppes for burial of the deceased.
Protesters however refused the compensation and demanded guarantees and assurances to conduct an inquiry of the killings. The protesters were later on dispersed by using teargas and aerial firing.
One must not forget the tension on Line of Control with India where armed force personals have embraced martyrdom. A brigade level flag meeting was also held to defuse the tension. Both the countries are accusing each other of the violation of LoC.
