The untold story of Shia Muslims in Pakistan

President Zardari, Prime Minister Gilani and Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fahmida are Shia Muslims. This is a unique thing in the Muslim world and shows the liberal Islamic face of Pakistan. But it's not acceptable to the almighty military establishment, so the generals want to remove the government. Some 'Opportunist Kufi Shias' are 'enabling' killing of their own brothers and sisters to get 'personal benefit' from the military.

The Terrorland Report

OUT of the 97 percent Muslims, Shias make an estimated 20 percent of the population in the Sunni-dominated Islamic Republic of Pakistan. The country hosts the second-largest Shia population in the world after the neighboring Shia-dominated Islamic Republic of Iran. Pakistan became a sectarian battlefield after 1979-revolution in Iran. The then military dictator, Gen Zia, at the behest of Middle Eastern kingdoms and sheikhdoms, made the country a hell for the followers of the Athna‘ashariyyah (Twelver) Shia Muslims. Since then hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens have been killed brutally.

Despite being persecuted as a part of the 'hidden' state policy, today President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, Speaker National Assembly Dr. Fahmida Mirza and many other high profile leaders are Shia Muslims. This is a unique thing in the Muslim world and shows the liberal Islamic face of the country. 

However, this thing is not acceptable to the almighty military establishment which has lost wars but still believes that it's the so-called custodian of the country's so-called idialogical borders. That is why Army Chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani has allegedly given Shia-dominated Gilgit-Baltistan, a region under the control of the federal government of Pakistan, to the neighboring communist China, to bring down the current Shia-dominated government. It seems a story of getting rid of a Shia region and Shia regime in Pakistan!

According to people, whatever the Army Chief and his "gang of rogue generals" is doing in the country, falls in the category of "high treason" but the generals never consider themselves accountable to anyone. Every day, they violate the Constitution a thousand times, and still they are praised in the mainstream media as the most 'patriot' people on land.

The military establishment has got help of some Shia media persons and politicians in the war against the Shia-dominated government. Sources claim that creating Sunni-Shia tension in Balochistan, Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and other parts of the country is actually a part of the military establishment's strategy, and some Shia people are involved in it as well. "They want to get personal benifit from the criminal army generals. The generals are also cashing presence of Shias in their ranks especially in the mainstream media."

Sources say, being a Shia Muslim himself, military spokesperson and Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Maj-Gen. Athar Abbas along his journalist brothers is leading Pakistan Army's Media War front against President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani. "Gen. Abbas is dreaming to become Army Chief after installing his boss Gen. Kayani in the Presidency, but Zardari has put a tough fight so far," said an insider.

Besides the influential Abbas Brothers, the military establishment is using other Shia Muslim journalists and politicians as well. "Some have been bribed, and others may be really against the PPP-led government," the source added.

The ruling party-sponsored blog, LUBP, has declared those "O pportunist Kufi Shias" who are killing their own Shia brothers and sisters to get benefits. It has criticized the Abbas Brothers and others. In a post, Shias enabling Shia killings in Pakistan, it says:

"This is all too familiar. kul yom ashura, kul arz karbala, kul opportunists kufi shia! (every day is Ashura, every land is Karbala and every opportunist is a Kufi Shia). Kufi Shias were those who assured Imam Hussain (AS) for support but instead participated in his slaughter in Karbala on the day of Ashura or looked the other way."

People say when President Zardari tried to give constitutional status to Gilgit-Baltistan, the military establishment opposed it because it's against their policy to have a Shia-dominated province in the Sunni-dominated country. "It'll cost them greatly," says a political worker from Skardu.  

Here are two conversations that shed light on the plight of Shia citizens in Pakistan.

(1)

  

REPORTER-1: The ticking time-bomb: Offices of banned sectarian organisation operate unimpeded in gilgit city while chilas has witnessed a cent percent rise in wall-chalking of banned sectarian outfits. The recent incident of throwing grenades at a shia imamgargah in gilgit city signals troubling times. why is it that the monster of sectarian strife raises its head always when the sleepy movement of nationalism gains momentum and public support in the region.       

           

ADMIN: Who is doing it this time and what is the reason according to the locals?

           

REPORTER-1: the term 'who' is disputed and i wont comment as i have still to go a long long way and for that i need to be alive. as far as version of the locals is concerned i think you know the history of diammer much better. the local population is already radiclised and they are more inclined towards their neighbors on the southern border than their brothers in the northern part. moreover, the huge money given as compensation for the diamer dam too has a role in it.

                       

REPORTER-2: my dear this is a simple tournament by our beloved agency and players also belongs to her u know better then me....that wat has done before

REPORTER-1: I found out that Karachi funds the massacre of the unique Kalash culture. Islamist organisations have set up seven special centers that collect funds for the "mission kalash" while newly converted muslims are brought to jammia binoria site town for their 'purification' talking to a newly converted girl at jammia binoria was a bone chilling experience.

       

ADMIN: O' really?

       

REPORTER-1: yes

(2)

REPORTER-1: In Gilgit-Baltistan, the local administration including officials of the rank of SSP police and Deputy Commissioner officially donate over hundred thousand rupees to Sipah Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), an anti-shia sectarian outfit banned in Pakistan in 2002 as a terrorist organization under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997.

           

REPORTER-2: astonishing. when did this happen?

           

ADMIN: What the ISI is doing there, sir?

          

REPORTER-1: In district Chilas, the den of SSP in Gilgit-Baltistan its normal and according to insiders the local administration donate generously. in fact the amount donated by the high officials in the local administration of the said district is part of the files of SSP seen by this vagabond. around three hundred thousand rupees were collected only on last friday wile the skins of sacrificial animals slaughtered on this eid were forcefully taken away on this eid in diamer district. this trend is introduced there for the first time.

           

REPORTER-1: This needs to be exposed. what do you think?

                      

REPORTER-1: yeah you are right but... do you remember the news item published in guardian about diammer dam. i really dont know the writer and saw his name for the first time but.... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/29/us-pakistan-dam-funding

and the boys arrested for allegedly throwing hand grenades in the imambargah are from goharabad village of diammer district.

                       

ADMIN: Why are you hesitating to take the name of ISI, which according to local journalists, is igniting sectarianism to avoid public demand for the 5th province? Ain't you trying to divert attention from the real culprits, the ISI, to the poor local admin and ISI puppet SSP?  

        

REPORTER-1: Do you remember the concluding phrase of the investigative report of Dexter Filkins published in the new yorker. while quoting a friend of saleem shehzad he wrote: “I used to look for stories that would open people’s eyes,” Sheikh said. “Now I am just a stupid correspondent doing stupid stories. And I am happy. I am happy.” http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/09/19/110919fa_fact_filkins#ixzz1drzoPVXl

ADMIN: Lols, stay blessed! I can understand!

           

REPORTER-3: these banned sectarian outfits are not only resurfacing in GB but through out the country in fact the GoPs license to JuD to collect hides in the recent Eid was self-evident that the initial ban was just cosmetic.

           

REPORTER-1: let me break another news here. the vice principal of jamia binoria site town karachi mufti saif ullah rubbani told me on the record that he approached the saudi government asking for financial support to counter what he described 'increasing iranian influence in pakistan'. according to him, this request had been made twice in the month of September and October this year. hope i am not spilling too much beans :)

                       

REPORTER-2: Interestingly, two new names were added to the list of banned orgs just before Eid, 1) Shia Talba Action Committee, 2) Markazi Sabeel Committee ....           

           

REPORTER-1: the total number of banned outfits has scaled to seven. and all of them are functioning without any official hindrance in gilgit-baltistan. the local leadership which is mostly shia dominated now is equally responsible for it.           

           

REPORTER-3: mmm interesting           

           

REPORTER-2: most of these leaders get votes on the basis of sect and clan. so their inclination towards the 'fraternity' is not surprising

                      

REPORTER-1: another bean spilling business :) a delegation of the local journalists was meeting the chief minister mehdi shah in gilgit. the delegation had only one sunni journalist while the rest were shias and by fate the sunni journalist somehow sat in the last row.

           

the chief minister without noticing the only sunni journalist started his meeting with a request to the journalists. while naming two shia politicians, the CM urged the journalists to persuade them not to speak against him. "they are our own momin brothers, you tell them to stop this malicious propaganda against me and i guarantee that no sunni will be chief minister ever in the history of gilgit-baltistan.

                       

REPORTER-3: ‎@true.... but the question who is gonna break this vicious cycle when the state itself is patronizing this outdated ideology ...

                       

REPORTER-1: only and only the masses. we need decades to change the mindset in gilgit-baltistan because from admission in a primary school to appointment of staff members in karakurum university revolves around this balance of power keeping the sectarian saturation in mind. its just a balance of power and standoff what we call peace...

                        

REPORTER-3: you are right bro ideally the masses can be the true change agent but they are not different from their lords...

 

 http://theterrorland.blogspot.in/2011/12/untold-story-of-shia-muslims-in.html