2003 Quetta mosque bombing

On 4 July 2003, 53 Hazara Shias were killed and at least 65 others were injured when the mosque was attacked during the Friday prayer in Quetta, Balochistan, Pakistan.[1][2] When hundreds of worshipers were offering Friday prayer, three armed men entered the Asna Ashari Hazara Imambargah and started shooting, threw hand grenades and one suicide bomber blew himself up - which left 53 dead and tens of others injured.[1][3] It was second major sectarian attack on Quetta's Hazaras after the massacre of police cadets. It was the start of the series of killings of Hazaras in Quetta.

2003 Quetta mosque bombing
Map of Quetta
LocationQuetta, Balochistan, Pakistan
Date4 July 2003 (2003-07-04) (Pakistan Standard Time)
Attack type
Suicide bombing, mass shooting, grenade attack
WeaponsHand grenades, explosive belt, guns
Deaths53
Injuredat least 65
PerpetratorsLashkar-e-Jhangvi
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Bombing

On 4 July 2003, hundreds of worshippers were practicing Friday prayer in Asna Ashri Hazara Imambargah Kalan mosque. Five men armed with automatic weapons[4] entered the mosque and fired on worshippers for ten continuous minutes and tried to throw a grenade, but it exploded in his hand. Worshippers disarmed one of the attackers and killed a third one. The other two attackers ran away from the roof. This attack left more 65 dead and tens of others injured.[5]

Perpetrators

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a banned terrorist group, was responsible for the attack on the mosque. After investigations, intelligence agencies found a video compact disc in which two people are shown who claimed their people attacked the mosque and they were going to meet them in paradise.[6]

Response
  • Pervez Musharraf, President of Pakistan at the time, cut short his 18-day trip to America and Europe. He was in a news conference in Paris when he heard the news.[7][8] On his return to Islamabad, he said:[9]

    Whether they are religious extremists or sectarian extremists they are ignorant and wild.

  • In response, police in Quetta arrested around 19 culprits who were found to be involved in the attack.[1]

See also

References
  1. "19 arrested after attack on mosque". The Guardian. Retrieved 7 July 2003.
  2. AFP, Quetta (2003-07-05). "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 4 Num 39". Thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
  3. AFP, Quetta (2003-07-05). "The Daily Star Web Edition Vol. 4 Num 39". Thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2012-05-03.
  4. "Sectarian Terror In Quetta". Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  5. McGirk, Tim (2003-07-07). "A Prayer Before Dying". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  6. "Daily Times". Daily Times. Retrieved 2019-06-19.
  7. "Sectarian Terror in Quetta".
  8. Time (magazine)
  9. "Sectarian Terror in Quetta".
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