About the Report:
This research study draws on over 80 interviews as well as archival and secondary research to present a comprehensive account of systematic attacks against Hazaras in Pakistan’s Balochistan province and a comprehensive chronology of attacks against the Hazara community between 1999 and 2022 in Quetta. The report also contextualizes the history of Hazara migration to Pakistan as well as the history of sectarian militancy in the country. Moreover, this study engages in critical discussion on the framing of these attacks and details their consequences on individual, family, and community levels before covering state response and community-led measures to the sustained violence against the Hazaras.
About the Authors:
Bismellah Alizada is a Ph.D. Candidate at SOAS University of London from where he also earned a Master of Science in Violence, Conflict, and Development in 2020. Bismellah’s research focuses on decentralization, political settlements, post-conflict institutional design, political participation, ethnic politics, and conflict. Mr. Alizada previously worked as Deputy Director at the Organization for Policy Research and Development Studies, in Afghanistan. In that position, he co-led all the research, advocacy, and capacity-building activities of the organization. He also co-edited the third, fourth, and fifth volumes of the organization’s peer-reviewed Women and Public Policy Journal between 2017 and 2019. Additionally, he co-founded Rahila Foundation, an organization working for youth empowerment through education, and capacity building. His articles have appeared on Al Jazeera English, The Diplomat, Global Voices, and the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies (IPCS) in New Delhi. He has also co-translated into Persian the book China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know.
Maisam Iltaf is a researcher and human rights activist. Iltaf’s research interests include refugees and forced migration, ethnic and cultural politics, identity and memory, religious fundamentalism and radicalization, and peacebuilding with a particular focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan. Iltaf is the co-founder of Rahila Foundation, a nonprofit working for youth empowerment through education and capacity-building programs. Iltaf is also a member of Amnesty International. Between 2015 and 2021, he worked with numerous international organizations in Afghanistan, including the American University of Afghanistan and RTP International. A recipient of UNDP’s N-Peace Award (2019), Iltaf’s articles have appeared on The Diplomat, The Geopolitics, and Global Voices.
You may download the full report here.
Watch the official launch of the report on our YouTube channel.
Watch Bismellah Alizada, one of the author’s interview with Afghanistan International about the report.