Bury your dead
January 18, 2021
“Bury your dead and I shall arrive”. This is what the Hazara community was told after eleven Hazara coal miners were blindfolded and slaughtered.
The prime minister of our country pretty much blackmailed a persecuted community, feigning concern that their dead should rest in peace. No one – least of all those in government – had the right to tell families that had lost their loved ones how to grieve. Yet, it was done. And it has (rightfully) left a bad taste across the country.
The Hazara community has been targeted for decades for ethno-religious reasons. This genocide has never been acknowledged by the state but if one looks at the figures and the intent behind their killings, it becomes clear that the definitional criteria for genocide is satisfied. Under Article II of the Genocide Convention 1948, a list of acts that constitute genocide is provided, subject to the requirement that these acts be carried out “with intent to destroy, i