'Under siege' - Fear and defiance mark life for Pakistan's minority Hazaras
Hazara men have tea and breakfast at a local restaurant in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
HAZARA TOWN, Pakistan (Reuters) - High walls around the neighbourhoods of Pakistan's embattled Hazara community in the southwestern city of Quetta are designed to protect them from extremist militants, but also serve as a constant reminder of the threat they face.
Soldiers and security checkpoints greet visitors to Hazara Town, one of two large guarded neighbourhoods in the capital of Baluchistan, a province where religious and sectarian groups often target the mostly Shia Hazaras with bombs and guns.
Syed Raza Hazara, 18, back flips as he performs Parkour at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Despite improved security in recent years, partly because most Hazaras have moved into the guarded enclaves, hardline Sunni militants keep up attacks, such as a blast in April that killed 24 people, among them eight Hazaras.
"We are living under siege for more than 1-1/2 decades due to sectarian attacks," said Sardar Sahil, a Hazara lawyer and rights activist.
"Though all these checkposts were established for our security, we feel we were ourselves also cut off from other communities."
Men install Pakistan's national flag on a stall ahead of the Hazara Culture Day celebration at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 21, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Sahil carries a pistol whenever he leaves home, and relies on his faith as a second layer of security.
"I kiss my mother's hand and she kisses me too and says goodbye with her prayers and good wishes," Sahil told Reuters at his home.
(For accompanying pictures, please click on https://reut.rs/2XcIoHz)
A Hazara girl with traditional jewellery does embroidery at a cultural stall during the Hazara Culture Day at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Hazaras, said to be descendants of the Mongols who swept out of central Asia to rule the subcontinent for many centuries, are easily distinguishable in Pakistan by their facial features.
That has made them vulnerable to attacks by groups such as Pakistan's banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), and Sunni militant group Islamic State, which has attacked them in both Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan, also home to many Hazaras.
Many community businesses that flourished in Quetta's bustling wholesale markets have shuttered and relocated to Hazara Town or Mari Abad, another Hazara neighbourhood.
Mohammad Bakir Hazara, 18, a carpenter, poses for a photograph at his workshop in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
But the community is defiant. Some still venture out into Quetta in search of work, while others keep businesses running.
The Quetta community held its first Hazara Culture Day this week to celebrate and showcase its history, music and traditions.
The community strives to keep its protests peaceful, despite unrest stirred up by militants looking to pit people of different sects against each other, said Abdul Khaliq Hazara, chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), which has two provincial assembly representatives.
Ibrahim Hazara, 70, poses for a photograph while selling apricots from his push cart at a vegetable and fruit market in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Domestic media often portray the Hazaras as targets of sectarian attacks or holding sit-ins to demand greater protection, but the community is developing and growing, said martial arts specialist Nargis Hazara.
"Every one of us has a dream, a target and aim in our heart, to change the image of Hazaras in the world, and especially in Pakistan," added the 20-year-old who last year became Pakistan's first winner of an Asian Games medal in karate.
Many Hazaras have joined the armed forces in Pakistan, where the community's past and future will stay rooted despite any violence, said another martial arts expert, Mubarak Ali Shan.
A Hazara taxi driver, poses for a photograph in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. His tattoo reads in Urdu: "loneliness" and the letter "F" stands for the first letter of the name of his friend who was killed in a bomb blast. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
"We want to serve Pakistan and despite suffering tragedies and incidents, our love for peace has not diminished," he added.
(Reporting by Gul Yousufzai; Editing by Drazen Jorgic and Clarence Fernandez)
People install artworks of Hazara artists during the Hazara Culture Day celebration at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroNargis Hazara, 20, martial arts specialist, who belongs to ethnic Hazara community, works on her computer as she sits beside her portrait at her home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroAmeen Hazara, 50, plays snooker at a local club in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 12, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroResident walk past a shop during sunset hours along a street in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroMir Hussain Changazi (L) from Hazara community plays Hazargi instrument Damboora, as he sings traditional songs along with Fida Hussain playing Harmonium and Zia Noorband on Tabla, as they practice at Aahanga musical academy Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA Hazara girl with traditional jewellery poses for a photograph during a practice ahead of the Hazara Culture Day at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 21, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroAbdul Khaliq Hazara, 52, politician and chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), which has two provincial assembly representatives, gestures during an interview with Reuters at his residence in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSiblings from a Hazara community ride a bike to school in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA Hazara girl attends an assembly prayer in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroMohammad Asif Shahyan from the Hazara community, CEO of a Pioneers school, watches an assembly prayer in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA Hazara man stands beside a poster depicting Jamkaran Mosque in Iran as he keeps an eye on his pair of caged chukars along a street in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 19, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroPeople from ethnic Hazara community play a game Sang Girag (stone throwing) near a graveyard in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroHouses belonging to ethnic Hazara community, stand on a hilltop in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroAfghanistan's Hazara singer Zahra Elham, performs Hazargi songs during the Hazara Culture Day celebrations at the Qayyum Ali Changezi Football Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroPeople install artworks of Hazara artists during the Hazara Culture Day celebration at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroChief Minister Baluchistan Jam Kamal Khan (2nd L), along with chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP) Abdul Khaliq Hazara (3rd L) and others wear traditional Hazargi caps, as they cut the ribbon to begin Hazara Culture Day celebrations at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA woman ascends a flight of stairs as she walks home on a hilltop in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroHazara children play on a trampoline near a graveyard in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 21, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA Hazara girl walks holding naans (breads) along a street in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroHazara men hold their mobile phones as they film a music performance by an Afghan Hazara singer Zahra Elham during the Hazara Culture Day celebrations at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroPeople watch traditional music performance during the Hazara Culture Day celebration at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroNaveed Ali Hazara, 23, poses for a photograph at a gym in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, kisses his mother's hand before leaving for office, at the doorsteps of his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019.REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, eats his breakfast with his mother at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 18, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, sports his licensed gun as he gets ready to leave for office, at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroA Hazara man reads the Koran along a passageway with photos of deceased victims who lost their lives during target killings and bomb attacks, at the graveyard called Shuhda Qabristan (martyred graveyard) in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro A Hazara girl poses for a photograph during the Hazara Culture Day at the Qayum Papa Stadium in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 22, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroShaolin Kung Fu Grandmaster Mubarak Ali Shan, poses for a photograph at his office in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 13, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroSardar Sahil, 30-year-old Hazara lawyer and rights activist, sports his licensed gun as he gets ready to leave for office, at his home in Hazara Town, Quetta, Pakistan, June 14, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroTORIES.Pakistan's national flag attached to a vehicle is seen as armed guards, who provide security for Abdul Khaliq Hazara, politician and chairman of the Hazara Democratic Party (HDP), chat with each other at his residence in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 17, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar SoomroPeople from ethnic Hazara community sand as they play a game Sang Girag (stone throwing) near a graveyard in Mariabad, Quetta, Pakistan, June 15, 2019. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
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