In the past couple of months, there has been a resurgence of anti-Shia sentiment in Pakistan. The salient features of the resurgent anti-Shia sentiment in Pakistan are:
Hitherto unseen unity amongst the Sunni sects and political groups and a convergence of their anti-Shia rhetoric (expanded beyond Deobandis to include Hanafis and Salafis); Demands that Shia be declared non-Muslims are increasing – ‘Takfiri Demands’ (Takfiri logic was applied to declare Ahmadiya community as non-Muslims);
Increasing political space of Sunni extremist/hardline groups (Pakistan government has been conspicuously silent about massive demonstrations in major cities). While on the one hand Pakistan is trying to project itself as a leader of Muslim Ummah and has been raising the issue of Islamophobia, on the other hand the Shias in Pakistan are being increasingly persecuted.
A compilation of targeted violence and killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan over the past few months is as follows:
Massive anti-Shia rallies
Massive anti-Shia rallies have been held in major cities including Karachi (estimated attendance of over 30,000), Peshawar, Islamabad in September 2020. Banned groups such Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ), extremist groups like Tehreek-e-Labbaik, and leaders of banned groups addressed or shared the stage at these rallies and even encouraged followers to bomb Shias.
FIRs, killings and arrests
On 4 September 2020, several Sunni organizations created a coalition demanding the arrest of Shias for Blasphemy; Over 150 FIRs alleging blasphemy against Shias including prominent leaders and clerics have been registered in September 2020. A number of Shia Ulema have also been detained by the police. Pakistani media have reported that over 22,000 Shias have been killed since 1968 for their faith. Two Shiites have been gunned down in the past month alone for religious reasons. A case was registered against a three-year-old Shia child under 16 Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) for allegedly organising a majlis at his residence.
Targeted attacks in Pakistan
Reportedly, a total, 33 people have been wounded, and seven others lost their lives in August 2020 in targeted attacks in Pakistan. Attacks take the form of bombings within districts with dense populations of Shia presence and armed shootings of individuals recognized as Shia Muslims.
On the 9th August, unidentified shooters targeted Syed Mukhtar Hussain Shah, 52, a caretaker of the Imambargah Chah Roshan Shah Malana, a congregation hall for Shia commemorations, as he returned home from the market. Shah lost his life at the hospital. A day later, a bomb on a motorbike detonated in Chaman’s border city, resulting in the death of 6 and the injury of 20 others. Local law enforcement noted a high prevalence of extremist violence that target Shia communities in the province.
The city of Quetta is another location in Pakistan with a high volume of anti-Shia violence. On the 13th of August, anti-Shia instigators threw a grenade in a market place wounding and killing nine civilians. Among those killed was a child.
There was also a case of brutal death of Qaiser Imran in Kohat, an attack on a procession in Okara, and the desecration of an Imambargah in the Lines Area.
War of words
In addition to direct violence, Shia Muslims in Pakistan face derogatory language and labeling. In Karachi, homes of Shia Muslims have been marked with words translating to “Shia Infidel.” Some in Pakistan have labeled the Coronavirus as “Shia Virus,” scapegoating the population for the country's pandemic.
During the recent anti-Shia Rally in Karachi, affiliates of Sipah-e-Sahaba and Tehreek Labbaik Pakistan waved flags and shout derogatory slurs against Shia Muslims, calling them “infidels” and damaging not only identified Shia property but also the city’s public infrastructures. In July 2020, Punjab legislature passed a bill (Tahaffuz-e-Bunyad-e-Islam Bill) prohibiting printing and publication of objectionable material. This was largely seen as targeting Shia.
