Quetta - Government and Politics

Government and Politics

Under the latest revision of Pakistan's administrative structure, promulgated in 2001, Quetta was restructured as a City District, and divided into two towns Each town in turn consists of a group of union councils (U.C.'s).: Quetta Unrest Presently Quetta is passing through one of the most volatile and fractious phases of its historical existence.The once peaceful and joyous city is in a grip of worst form of genocidal sectarian killing. The Genesis of the present unrest is two dimensional, sectarian and ethnic. sectarian violence. It started in late 1990s as a spill over of the Afghanistan Taliban violence. The majority inhabitants belong to Sunni sect of Islam, who are mostly Baloch and Pashtun. The minority belongs to Shia sect of Islam mostly the Hazaras. It is a one sided sectarian killings where more then 800 People from Shia sect have been killed since 1999, when for the first time the then provencial Minister for education, Sardar Nisar Ali Hazara escape an assassination attack.Hazaras being majority Shia population have sustained the brunt of this violence, 90% of those Shias killed are ethnic Hazaras. There have been Sunni Killings also, mostly the Baralvi sub sect prayer leaders, as condemnable as these killings are, but these are in 10 or 15 in number. Mostly pointing out to the Baralvi-deobandi intra Sunni sect strife. Presently most of the attacks are owned by the lasker-i-jangvi (LeJ), a banned (albeit in name only)Sunni sectarian outfit. besides it Taliban, Jandullah and assorted other groups are also working on the same sectarian killing spree. Ethnic Unrest. After the 2002 general elections, the Baloch, who form the majority ethnic group in Balochistan provence, felt left out against the religio-political party JUI(F). There was a general unrest, but it was exacerbated by the killing of the Baloch chieftain, Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti in 2006. Thereafter, there are Baloch groups like Baloch Libaration Army (BLA),Baloch Republican Army (BRA),Baloch Republican Force(BRF) and many other groups, fighting for a range of causes, from independence to greater autonomy within the constitution of Pakistan. The two causes of unrest has made Quetta as on of the most volatile and lawless cities in Pakistan.