Bomb blast in Hangu, Pakistan

[Nocturne 177]

Salam,

We are hearing reports that there has been a bomb blast in Hangu this morning. Do not know how many casualities or any thing as such. Reports that Hangu Market has been set on fire. This area has seen intense fights between Shia and Sunnis years ago. I hope such a thing doesnt happen again, perhaps it has already started...

I hope it comes on Media soon enough. Reaction to it has already started in our village. They stopped vehicle and tried to break it. :Hijabi: And a young man, out in anger, tried to get his AK-47 and shoot the people inside the vehicle. :Hijabi: This isn't THE SOLUTION!!!

Well, I request you all to please pray for the safety of Muslims in the area and pray nothing as a "WAR" starts again.......

P.S. Nothing is fully clear right now. They have called up Shias in Hangu and they told about it.

Edited February 18, 2006 by The Patri0t

[Nocturne 177]

Worshippers die in Pakistan blast

At least four people have been killed and many injured in north-western Pakistan after a religious procession came under attack, officials say.

An explosion tore through a crowd of Shia Muslims marking the festival of Ashura in the town of Hangu in North West Frontier Province.

One report said the devotees were also sprayed with gunfire.

Pilgrims reacted by burning shops and cars and clashing with police, a senior official told the Associated Press.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4695776.stm

[Il Nino 0]

I hate the yazidis who decide to turn up on muharram processions.

Kill them Inshallah.

10th Muharram has nothing to do with them, what's their problem? :huh:

[Nocturne 177]

^

They can't see us doing Azadari of Imam Hussain (a.s.). From BBC:-

At least 22 people have been killed and many injured in a suspected suicide bomb that struck a religious procession in north-west Pakistan.

The explosion tore through a crowd of Shia Muslims marking the festival of Ashura in the town of Hangu.

No-one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan has a history of tension between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

Troops were sent to maintain a curfew after pilgrims responded to the attack by torching shops and cars.

'Suicide attack'

The explosion erupted in a bazaar as hundreds of people walked in a procession from the main Shia mosque in the town, in North-West Frontier Province.

"We thought the bomb was detonated by remote control, but now it appears to be a suicide attack," local police chief Ayub Khan told the Associated Press news agency.

One report said the devotees were also sprayed with gunfire.

Maulana Khurshid Anwar, a leader of the Shia procession, told AP the explosion happened just as he was about to address the crowd.

District administrator Ghani ur-Rehman said the ensuing violence destroyed 60% of the town's bazaar. A judicial inquiry into the attack has been ordered, officials said.

Mr ur-Rehman said Sunni and Shia religious leaders were helping try to clam the situation.

Mir Faisal, a local government official in Hangu, told AP the town was cloaked in smoke and bursts of gunfire had been heard.

"Things are tense and we can't go out," he said.

Shia cleric Allama Mehdi Najfi, in the south-western Pakistani city of Quetta, told AP: "This attack has spread anger among our people throughout the country, but I appeal them not to clash with any member of other sects."

Ashura marks the death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson Imam Hussein, an event that led to the split between Shia and Sunni Muslims.

The festival has frequently been marred by attacks on Pakistan's minority Shias by suspected Sunni militants.

[Guest DjibrilCisse]

May Allah eternally curse these beasts.

[syedhasan 5]

Salam

According to latest info. 25 people are dead and many more feared dead. Please pray for your brothers here, because there are lots of azadari haters there. Although the area elders stoped youth from killing innocent sunnis but still there is a lot of rage and people are not satisfied with the government.

Army troops have moved into hangu and there is a curfew but still people from both sides are spraying bullets on each other.

[Rawshni 9]

It is also the appropriate time to refresh memories and recollect that the ISI was instrumental in creating the Anjuman Sipahe Sahaba, which has spawned many anti-shia terrorist groups

[Fatimaa 4]

(bismillah) (salam)

May Allah eternally curse these beasts.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ameen.

Very Sad to hear that :(

May Allah(swt) help All & protect All..(Ameen)

Wassalam.

[Janaat 10]

It really saddens me when I hear about such things. :( May the people who were killed in the bomb blast recieve a place in jannat and may their sins be forgiven.I just don't understand why shias and sunni can't get along>_< The important thing is that we're all muslims, can't we just live in peace and harmony. Why points fingers at other people's beliefs. Just believe in what you want to let others believe in what they will! Just live and let live. Also when muharam comes along, sunni people start questioning you about why you do matam because matam is haram. It really annoyed me! No matter what you tell them they will never ever agree with what you have to say and will come up with endless excuses.

[syedhasan 5]

^^The things are not as simple when it comes to places like hangu, where this enmity is going from ages. But still one can hope for betterment.

[huda 0]

(bismillah)

(salam)

The attack in Hangu in NWFP was orchasterated by the Pakistani Government to divert attention from Bajaur agency attacks and the publication of the insulting

caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) in European newspapers.

Because daily there are protests in Pakistan against these caricatures.

The govt. has always used the same line as sectarian issue, but as all of us staying in Pakistan realise that no such enemity exists between shia and sunnis. In fact, all govts. in Pakistan have promoted this view in Pakistan by carrying out

such carnage of shias and sunnis. The line 'shia sunni tension' has caught on so well that even the media jumps to this conclusion as the first possibility.

All attacks are either carried out by the govt. or other foreign agencies to promote riots, violence and instability in pakistan.

The death toll has reached close to 40 but as is the govt. policy they disclose the reall amount in a much longer time so as not to anger the people against the govt. The region of Hangu is a very sensitive and the violence that has started there could spiral out of control. So please don't get caught by the idea that is being promoted.

There have been protests against the attack throughout Pakistan by ISO (Imamia Students Organization) Pakistan.

May the Imam (a.s) return soon and peace and tranquility return soon to this world as it is being filled by injustice and oppression.

[Mohsin 3]

^ I can't stop laughing :lol:

[Il Nino 0]

this isn't funny, mohsin :huh:

[Mohsin 3]

^

The attack in Hangu in NWFP was orchasterated by the Pakistani Government to divert attention from Bajaur agency attacks and the publication of the insulting

caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) in European newspapers.

Because daily there are protests in Pakistan against these caricatures.

Yeah.. not funny :dry:

[Il Nino 0]

^ well i posted against it in some other thread as well.

done by indian Ra agents because they want gilgit removed from pakistan.

we wont let it happen :mad:

[-SeeKeR- 216]

I don't understand why they can't let us live in peace... :mad: .

[Nocturne 177]

Salam,

So yesterday new "Lashkars" or call it"Yazid's Armies" attacked the shia villages around Hangu. They came from another side before that. Army has been announcing there, asking the "Lashkars" to leave the area till 8 am today, otherwise Army will take action against them, with every thing, mentioning Gunship Helicopters too!!! Huda, that's not true.

[Nocturne 177]

SEEMS LIKE NO ONE IS INTERESTED! THEY ARE YOUR SHIA BROTHERS PEOPLE!

[Moinuddin_786 2]

(salam)

THIS LASHKAR E TOIBA LASHKAR E JHANGVI SIPAH E SAHABA NEED TO BE ALL HANGED ON A TREE, AND THEIR REMAINS FED TO THE LIONS, IM SICK AND TIRED OF THESE SMELLY BEARD GROWING FITNAH INFESTED MAULVIS....THEY R EVERYWHERE....AND THEY R THE ONES TELLING EVERY1 TO KILL SHIAS.......

BUT I HAVE A QUESTION WAS THE POLICE INVOLVED IM PRETTY SURE IT WAS BUT IM JUST WONDERING........BECAUSE IN PAKISTAN THE POLICE ARE THE BIGGEST GANGSTERS........

[light_within_me 0]

On the day of Ashura,in Hangu,NWFP,Pakistan,there was a bomb blast in which 32 shiyan e Ali(as) were martyred and many injured, they started to protest.Tonight,the night of 12th moharram,at 10:00 there were 2 shaheed in hungo,3 in ibrahimzai & 6 houses burnt.army reached but did nothing.AT 12:00,hungu was attacked by lashker e yazid who were collecting weapons to do so in 11th moharram,& they used heavy weapons like bombs,rockets,etc.At 6:00,an american molvi announced that we have comitted with army that we'll stop heavy firing till 8:00,so they statred firing and bombing very heavily......at 8:30,heavy bombing and firing stopped but one or two rockets are fired after some time........A lot of brothers are expected to be martyred........please recite dua e tawasul,dua e nudba,Quran and offer prayers,....contact influential governmental officials,........lovers of syed ush shuhada are under attack......MAY Allah HELP THEM AND SAVE THEIR LIVES AND IDEALOGY..........(LATEST)The crises in Hangu is still going on and heavy weapons are being used against the shias. The army is there but as a silent spectator and is not taking and action against the assailers. The shia villages are under heavy missile attack and loud explosions can be heard even on the telephone. The assailers are preparing for a large attack tonight. The army officials are not taking any action to control the situation, despite many requests by the local people. It seems fairly apparent that the a plan for the genocide of the shia population is in progress and the army will come into action, after the assailant army achieves its objectives.They are concentrating to collect man power to launch a heavy attack.

The assailants are equipped with heavy weapons and are supporter by the ex-fighters of the taliban forces. They are well trained in combat and it seems that tonight is crusial of the shia population in the region.Please forward this to all news agencies........

DOWN WITH AMERICA

DOWN WITH ISRAEIL

DOWN WITH YAZIDISM

[Thaqalain 0]

Picturesque Hangu valley turned into killing field

By Zafar Bangash in Toronto

with direct reports from Hangu

The tragic sectarian clashes in Hangu and the surrounding areas in Pakistan's Frontier Province last month that resulted in scores of deaths were entirely avoidable. The mayhem started on March 21 when a Nowroz procession by the Shias was fired upon by heavily-armed Sunnis. In the first attack, 10 persons were killed. Thereafter, in the cycle of violence, at least 27 persons and perhaps twice as many died.

There were rumours that there would be trouble during Nowroz celebrations. Hangu was tense since the firing in Ramadan when two Sunnis were shot and killed.

How the tragic cycle of violence escalated can be traced to two separate processions taken out by the Shias and Sunnis in Hangu during Ramadan. The assistant commissioner, Sher Azam, in a serious lapse of administrative responsibility, gave permission for both processions simultaneously (He has since been transferred to Mansehra).

The Sunnis organised a procession for Al-Quds on the last Friday of Ramadan. The Shias took out a rival procession to commemorate the martyrdom of Imam Ali. A Shia fired on the Sunni procession killing two. Later, some Sunnis fired on the Shias.

The irony of the situation was lost on both groups. It was Imam Khomeini who had called on Muslims worldwide to commemorate the last Friday of Ramadan as Quds Day. This call was taken up by the Sunnis, at least in Hangu while the Shias did not have enough sense to join it. Instead, they fired upon it.

In the ensuing Shia-Sunni clashes, the Frontier Constabulary (FC) was called out to restore order. Curfew was imposed in Hangu and the situation was brought under control. A Sunni Supreme Council emerged, backed by the Sepah-e Sahaba who immediately made three demands: arrest and prosecution of the Shia who had shot and killed two Sunnis during Al-Quds rally; no Nowroz procession by the Shias nor any procession during Muharram, and no adhan by them on loud speakers.

While the last two demands were clearly unrealistic, the local administration's failure to apprehend the culprit even though he roamed around in the town freely, inflamed Sunni feelings. The Sunnis' deadline of March 13 for his arrest came and went without any action by the police. The Sunnis felt that the authorities were ignoring them and proclaimed that henceforth they will not be responsible for any unpleasant consequences.

Why the Shia who had shot dead two Sunnis in Hangu was not apprehended despite roaming freely has not been explained. The Sunnis, egged on by members of the Sepah-e Sahaba and some local ulama from the Miftah-ul Uloom mardrassa in Sangher locality of Hangu provided the spark for the latest mayhem. They had even called for a general strike on March 21 to coincide with Nowroz.

A group of heavily-armed Sunnis from the nearby villages of Sumarai, Bagato and Kotgai took up positions at the Nowroz Mela Maidan early in the morning of March 21. They did not fire upon the first group which comprised mostly Shia women and children. The second procession setting out at 8:30 am from near Hangu College for the Nowroz Mela was fired upon with automatic weapons. The shooting lasted until 1 pm before the FC, backed by army contingents, brought some semblence of order. When the shooting died down, at least 10 persons were dead, most of them Shias.

That, however, was not the end of the tragedy. Hangu is situated in a valley surrounded by mountains beyond which lies the Tribal area of Orakzai Agency. The tribals are all Sunnis. A call immediately went out to them for help.

A number of heavily-armed tribal lashkars attacked the Shia villages of Saidano Banda and Ibrahimzai, southeast of Hangu. Both villages suffered heavy damage. Hardly a house was left intact. The number of people killed has still not been determined.

Hangu remained under curfew for 10 days. The police, backed by the military arrested scores of people from both sides. The busy Kohat-Hangu road was closed and opened only on April 2.

Far from easing tension, a March 26 statement by the Frontier chief minister Sardar Aftab Ahmed Khan, compounded the problem. He asserted that Shia-Sunni clashes have been the norm in Hangu.

This is a stunning display of ignorance by the provincial chief executive. There is no history of Shia-Sunni clashes. In fact, Hangu is a very mixed town. Had the chief minister bothered to make a few simple inquiries, he would have discovered that many relatives of the wife of even the provincial governor, general Arif Bangash, are Shias. The governor and his wife are both Sunnis. Shia-Sunni marriages are not very common but there is no truth to the chief minister's claim. It appears to have been made at the behest of the local administration in Hangu which clearly wanted to cover their own incompetence and criminal negligence.

Similarly, a March 22 mortar attack on a Shia locality in Shahukhel village on the edge of Orakzai Agency northeast of Hangu did not lead to Shia-Sunni clashes even though 11 members of the same family died. The Sunnis of Shahukhel came out in strength to express sympathy with the Shias and joined in the funeral processions. The missiles apeared to have been fired from the tribal area. A major clash was thus averted through the good sense of the Sunnis.

Prior to these clashes, the only other instance of Shia-Sunni fighting in Hangu was in 1980. On that occasion too, ulama from both sides had inflamed passions by making irresponsible statements. Now the situation has deteriorated. The emergence of the Sepah-e Sahaba and of militant Shias who are willing to kill innocent people without any provocation, has led to this tragic situation.

In addition to Hangu, the entire Kurram Valley from Kohat to Parachinar is dominated by the Bangash tribe who are a mixed bag of Shias and Sunnis. Travelling from Kohat to Parachinar, one finds Shia-Sunni villages spread in a chequer-board fashion along the route. Between Kohat and Hangu, there are three major Shia villages: Ustarzai Bala, Ustarzai Payan and Ibrahimzai. There are a number of Sunni villages in-between. The other major concentration of Shias is in Parachinar, home-town of the late maulana Arif Husaini.

Parachinar has had an uneasy history of Shia-Sunni relations because of the almost equal numbers of the two groups. This balance was upset with the arrival of the Afghans. This time, however, the local administration took preventative measures and managed to avoid the repeat of 1995 when more than 250 people died in such clashes.

Despite claims by the Tehrik-e Jafariya Pakistan (TJP) leader, Allama Sajid Naqvi, the Afghans were not involved in the Hangu shootings. The majority of Afghans in Hangu are ordinary people uninvolved in political activity. Most of the killings in Hangu and the surrounding areas were carried out by people from the Sumarai village who are Khattaks, and the tribals from Orakzai Agency.

In fact, some collusion of the Taliban-led government in Kabul and of the Americans cannot be ruled out. The latter are notorious for criminal activities worldwide. Not surprisingly, the US issued an alert to its citizens in Pakistan and requested additional security for its embassy and consulates on March 27. The Pakistan government, ever ready to oblige Uncle Sam, rushed in extra reinforcements.

The American connection to the tribals in Pakistan is a distinct possibility. During the Afghan war, the Americans established close contacts in the area and recruited agents. Aware that the tribals' loyalty can be bought for a few dollars, the Americans have been quite generous in purchasing allies. In recent years, American commandos have also conducted military exercises in the area.

Two phenomena have occurred since the Afghan war: spread of drugs, and sectarianism in Pakistan. Hangu has been afflicted by both.

With the latest eruption of Shia-Sunni clashes, the tranquility of this picturesque town has been shattered, perhaps, irreparably. It will be very difficult to restore confidence between the two communities even if the vast majority on both sides are not involved in any sectarian conflict or hatred. It takes a handful of extremists to spark clashes.

(The writer, Zafar Bangash was born in Hangu and spent his early childhood there).

Muslimedia: April 16-30, 1998

[Thaqalain 0]

A massive operation required to get rid off Talebanic/Salafic elements inside Pakistan Tribal Belt FATA,Pakistan Army,FC,Adminstration,all should be punished in the same way as Taleban and Saddam Armies have been punished.Wait & See.

Let Pakistan Army break in parts and fight each other to eradicate Wahabic/Talebanic/Saddamic/Saudic/Osamic elements.

[Nocturne 177]

light_within_me, may I know who you are and where do you come from? I am hearing now that the Lashkars were sent back by the Army yesterday but they are coming from another side today. I have been told that the Shias in Hangu are telling back the rest of Shia villages that they have got enough weapons with them and the lashkars won't be able to penetrate them insha'Allah!

P.S. Sighted 2 Cobra Helicopters coming back from my village and Hangu side this morning. I was taking a snap of it but my Camera GAVE up. :mellow:

Update :- Hearing the Helicopters again...

Edited February 11, 2006 by The Patri0t

[Moinuddin_786 2]

(salam)

brother please keep me informed.......this is so scary i hope the shias will be ok i thought musharraf was shia.....why dont he do nething?

[Satyam 5]

Patriot,

Is the army moving in? Has curfew been imposed?