1988 Latifabad riots
| 1988 Latifabad riots | |
|---|---|
| Part of Violence against Muhajirs | |
| Location | Latifabad, Hyderabad, Pakistan |
| Date | 30 September 1988 |
| Deaths | 200+ |
| Victims | Muhajirs |
| Perpetrators | Qadir Magsi and Sindhi nationalists |
| Part of a series on |
| Violence against Muhajirs |
|---|
| Pakistan |
| Bangladesh |
|
|
The 1988 Latifabad riots were a series of pogroms in the Latifabad area of Hyderabad, Sindh, Pakistan, perpetrated by Sindhi nationalist militants targeting Muhajirs on 30 September 1988. It resulted in the death of more than 200 people and is considered one of the Muhajir–Sindhi issues in Pakistan.[1][1][2][3]
The following day Sindhis were killed in ethnic rioting which killed at least 46 people.[4] A curfew was enforced in both Karachi and Hyderabad.[5]
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the mainstream Muhajir party, would broaden its scope as a party of the middle class following this incident, emphasizing the common physical suffering of the local Muhajir community in parallel to its socioeconomic decline.[6]
Background
In 1988, the massacre, which was committed during the regime of Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq as a result of brewing ethnic and political tensions between Sindhi nationalists and Muhajir communities.[7] Zia-ul-Haq, then-President of Pakistan, had been killed in a plane crash the month before, leaving political and democratic possibilities open in Pakistan. Demographic considerations were a huge part of political discourse that led to ethnic rioting throughout the late 1980s.
Massacre
Unidentified gunmen opened fire on large crowds of innocent bystanders, including women and children, in Latifabad. The MQM accused Qadir Magsi and nationalists carrying out the attack.[8]
Trial and acquittal
Following the 1988 massacre, Qadir Magsi was detained without trial or conviction for five years. He was eventually released on bail pending trial.[3] In July 2003, a Hyderabad trial court exonerated Qadir Magsi and eight others who were accused of perpetrating the massacre. The Sindh High Court upheld the trial court's judgement in 2007, exonerating 41 additional suspects.[3]
References
- ^ a b Oskar Verkaaik. Migrants and Militants: Fun and Urban Violence in Pakistan. Princeton University Press. p. 189.
- ^ "The Black Friday: 30 September 1988, Hyderabad". Scribd. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ a b c "Dr Qadir Magsi (SOB) acquitted in 1988 Hyderabad massacre case". The Express Tribune. 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
- ^ Ethnic Rioting in Karachi Kills 46* and Injures 50 The New York Times, 2 October 1988.
- ^ Verkaaik, Oskar (5 June 2018). Migrants and militants: fun and urban violence in Pakistan. Princeton University Press. ISBN 978-0-691-18771-6. OCLC 1043701861.
- ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2015-08-15). The Pakistan Paradox. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780190235185.001.0001. ISBN 978-0-19-023518-5.
- ^ Zaidi, S. Akbar (1991). "Sindhi vs Mohajir in Pakistan: Contradiction, Conflict, Compromise". Economic and Political Weekly. 26 (20): 1295–1302. ISSN 0012-9976. JSTOR 4398031.
- ^ "The Black Friday: 30 September 1988, Hyderabad". Scribd. Retrieved 2021-10-14.