Pakistan: Anti-Terrorism Court Approves Bail Of Five People Accused Of Chilas Shia Massacre

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A Court in Gilgit has acquitted five people by Al Qaeda affiliated Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) militants who had been arrested in connection with the shooting and stoning of Shia passengers near Chilas, last year in 2012. According to details, an Anti-Terrorism Court has acquitted five people, including Maulana Muzammil Shah, Qari Qayyum, Muhammad Yasir and Mehmoodul Hassan.

The decision was made by Justice Raja Shahbaz Khan of the anti-terrorism court, paving the way for the temporary release of the accused languishing in a jail in Chilas, headquarters of Diamer Valley since last year. The five accused had surrendered to police in Chilas town through a local jirga after being nominated in the sectarian violence that had gripped the whole of G-B in 2012, resulting in the killing of more than 70 people in separate incidents. The five accused were of the 11 men nominated in an FIR for attacking buses and killing 10 passengers at Gonar Farm area of Diamer Valley in June.

At least six passenger buses were stopped by Al Qaeda affiliated Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) militants in Bonar Das area in Chilas (Gilgit Baltistan), passengers were segregated by checking their identity documents, those found or believed to be Shia Muslims were shot dead and many other Shias were kidnapped.

Pakistani media was given instruction to refrain from reporting the full scale and extent of Shia genocide, there is very little published information on what actually happened in Chilas. For ordinary readers, it is very difficult to get the right information about how many people have died in recent Shia massacres in Gilgit-Baltistan. Some put the numbers as high as 80.

However, there are people who have received information from eye witnesses about the massacre of Shias in Chilas.

One eyewitness, Aslam, is a 30 year old male who provided the following details: About three thousand (3,000) fully armed assailants intercepted a convoy of 25 buses. They pulled all the passengers down. After confiscating the luggage, the buses were then set on fire. It appeared to be all pre-planned and even the police and administration present there were either helping the assailants directly or turned a blind eye throughout the entire episode of bloodshed and mayhem.

The assailants had set up a makeshift tent to host those (mostly Sunnis) who were going to be released later. The male Shia passengers were then lined up. The gunmen checked their ID cards and shot and killed many on the spot. Many bodies were riddled with bullets. Those who ran for life were then attacked by the mob with stones and bricks and killed them in that manner. The assailants pelting stones were laughing and high fiving each other upon hitting the target. A large number of Shias were also taken hostage and may be still alive. The estimated the death toll is no less than sixty (60), while at least another sixty (60) went missing. I (Aslam) was not carrying an ID card and remained associated with a Sunni family as the kind hearted elderly male guardian claimed me to be his son. Those males believed to be non-Shias were then sent to the tent along with females and the children. Later, they were sent to the house of Haji Abdul Aziz, where they were offered refreshment. At some point, the police arrived at Haji’s house and escorted me and other passengers to the few remaining buses which then took them to Gilgit.

Another survivor, Zakir – a 22 year old Shia male, said:

My bus was first to arrive at Buner farm, where the assailants had gathered. I claimed to be a Sunni student without an ID card upon which the assailants hurled me towards a government building along with two old ladies and three girls. There, I was able to call my family members and also contacted an influential government official in Chilas, who was later instrumental in saving my life. The official sent his police guards who escorted me away. After spending the night at the officer’s residence, I was then sent to Gilgit in a helicopter with the dead bodies of Shias. From there, I reached my hometown Skardo. The man (a Shia) sitting next to me in the bus showed his ID card to the assailants and was subsequently killed. Ilyas is the third survivor and eyewitness who stated the following: I was assisting some ladies from Khapulo during the bus journey. As the attackers approached me, one of the ladies claimed me to be his son and a Noorbakhshi by faith from Khapulo. This way, I was able to save my life with the help of that kind and brave lady.

This is not first time in Pakistan that courts have released the terrorists, thousands of terrorists have already been released even they have accepted their crimes, but judges and law enforcement agencies release them due to fear of attacks on them in future, if they hanged terrorists.