otesters hold a placard in aftermath of Quetta suicide attack, at Melbourne vigil. Photo by Barat Ali Batoor. As I recall the conversation of Hon. Bob Carr, the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, aired 28th, June, on ABC’s Lateline, in which he had claimed that 100% of the recent boat arrivals to Australia were “economic migrants” lured towards Australia mainly by our strong economy and better prospects of survivability (economic), it becomes quite perplexing for me to understand the credibility of his source (s) of information. Despite having faith in the work done by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship in managing our immigration system, I don’t believe that the Department’s assessment, on which is based the Minister’s claim, is factual, at least in the case of the Hazaras. Hazaras belong to a minority tribe originally from Afghanistan’s central mainlands. They have very distinct Mongolian features which make them distinguishable from the other ethnic tribes. This coupled with their belief in the Shia sect of Islam has resulted in their persecution throughout the history of Afghanistan, most notably during the kingdom of Abdur-ur-Rahman Khan, and more recently during the Taliban regime. Faced with an imminent threat to their lives, Hazaras in Afghanistan had been forced to abandon their fertile agricultural land and retreat to the unbearable mountains surrounding Hazarajat. Many were able to escape to the neighbouring counties of Iran and Pakistan to seek refuge. Their exodus began in the late 19th century, increased during the 1990s and continues to date. Millions of Hazaras were fortunate to seek shelter in Pakistan, mostly in Quetta – the capital of the South Western province of Balochistan, a restive province that has been at war with the central government since the independence of Pakistan in 1947. Plagued with armed resistance by the native Baloch tribes that see the central government as their enemy, the state’s brutal use of force to silence the Baloch liberation – seeking youth, the establishment’s support for Jihadi extremism against minorities and an increased interest in the mineral – rich province by foreign countries, Balochistan was set to become a hotbed for international and domestic political game. Amid this, the choice made by millions of Hazaras to settle in the province quickly proved to be a rather costly one. The factors that had forced Hazaras to flee their homeland became the excuse for their target – killings and mass murders in Pakistan. What began with an assassination attempt on the life of then Education Minister of the Balochistan, a Hazara, grew ferociously in the last decade and continues with the same pace till date. The most recent acts of terror took place only on 23, July killing two young Hazara men, following a suicide blast on 1, July in which at least 28 people, including women and children had reportedly been killed. These follow a series of two deadly attacks on the community earlier this year which resulted in the death of at least 200 people, again including women and children. With hope for a secure future for their families gone, thousands of Hazaras have been forced to leave Pakistan. Many families have had to sell their properties to fund the journeys of their loved ones abroad. Those who cannot arrange the cost (which by recent accounts of Hazara asylum seekers has reached a whopping 10,000 Australian dollars) have no other option but to seek loan from the wealthier ones in the community; often borrowing from a number of friends and relatives to makeup the sum. Among those Hazaras who have left Pakistan, hundreds have also taken the boats to Australia. However, as the number of boats arriving on our shores has increased over the past few years, the Australian government’s policies to deter asylum seekers have also toughened up. The introduction of temporary freeze on the processing of claims from Afghan (Hazara) and Sri Lankan asylum seekers, the introduction of bridging visas, the re – opening of detention centre in Nauru, the no – access to education and work rights policy i.e. the “ no – advantage” policy have been introduced sequentially by our government in order to stop future boat arrivals. However, despite these harsh policies the continuous arrival of boats, more importantly, the increasing number of Hazara asylum seekers seeking protection in Australia, prove that Hazaras will readily make the perilous boat journey to Australia because what they are escaping from is far more dangerous than what they experience during the boat journey. Remaining in Pakistan almost certainly means death. There is however, some hope that by getting on a boat, a future may exist albeit that may require spending a few years in Nauru. After all, Nauru is still better than Quetta. Despite knowing that the situation for Hazaras in Afghanistan and Pakistan is fairly bleak, the Foreign Minister’s remarks are completely out – of – touch, and based not on fact. It rather seems a desperate act of a government that has exhausted all other avenues in its quest for proving to the Australians that our government can protect our borders. In the meantime, the vulnerability of refugees and asylum seekers, whose rights have already been snatched by the government, has cleverly been exploited. If there is still any decency left in our Foreign Minister, he would ensure that he’d rectify the comment he had made about the true plight of asylum seekers in general and Hazara refugees in particular. These are not economic migrants. They are ready to risk their lives on wooden boats only because they are aware if they stay back, death awaits them! - See more at: hnwonline.net/2013/08/are-hazaras-economic-migrants/#sthash.jUWNJjVL.dpuf hnwonline.net/2013/08/are-hazaras-economic-migrants/
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:44:21 +0000
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