‘300,000 Pakistanis fled Balochistan’

Over 300,000 Pakistani people have fled the unrest in the country’s southwestern Balochistan Province over the past ten years, a report says.

The report was released on Wednesday by the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.

According to the report’s Balochistan Chapter Tahir Hussain Khan, Pakistan’s Shia Muslim and Hindu communities are among those who have fled the violence in Balochistan. The migrants also include members of the Zikri community.

“The figure of 300,000 is a considerable figure. The actual number of migrants may be higher, but we could only authenticate this,” Khan added.

The report added that about 200,000 of those who escaped the unrest have relocated to Pakistan’s major cities or left the country.

This is while Pakistani civilians and security forces have become victims of attacks by groups linked to al-Qaeda, including the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ).

According to the report, the outlawed Pakistani terrorist LeJ group has launched attacks and bombings against Shia Muslims and Hazara community in Pakistan’s Quetta city in the past. Last year, more than 200 Shias were killed in such attacks.

The killings of Shias in Pakistan have sparked international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the ongoing carnage. Still, those behind the violence are rarely caught or punished.

The rise in such instances of violence has triggered many protest rallies to denounce the targeted killings.

Since the country joined Washington in its so-called war on terror in 2001, Pakistan has been witnessing a rise in deadly violence. The unrest has claimed the lives of nearly 50,000 people.

SZH/AB/SS