[View the story "Pakistani human rights activist among 129 killed" on Storify ]Pakistani human rights activist among 129 killed At least 129 deaths were reported after series of explosions struck the Pakistani cities of Quetta, Swat and Karachi.Among the dead in Thursday's attacks was Irfan Khudiali, a Pakistani human rights activist and avid tweeter. Storified by Ali M Latifi · Fri, Jan 11 2013 10:52:26
Khudiali's death sparked an outpouring of support for him and his family and outrage against the inaction of security forces to stop ongoing attacks on religious minorities in Pakistan.
A friend just confirmed that Irfan Khudi Ali @khudiali a young activist against shia genocide lost his life in twin Quetta blasts :(Nighat Dad
Please say a prayer for Irfan @khudiali, an extremely cultured and vocal representative of the Hazara Shia cause, who died in Quetta blast.Afia Aslam
Today I mourn the loss of a twitter user @Khudiali Irfan - killed in the Quetta blast today - #RIPKhudiAliAwab Alvi
Rest in peace my friend @khudiali -> Sorry that we could not save a bright mind, a brave soul like you. We are killing ourselves. #PakistanRaza Rumi
Just found out that the courageous @khudiali who died today in the #Quetta blast followed me on Twitter. Not knowing him was my loss. RIPFifi Haroon
For many in the Pakistani twitterverse, Khudiali's death, among 95 in Quetta, was part of a larger sectarian strife that has seen over
4,000 members of the nation's Shia minority killed in targeted attacks since the early 1990s.
For some members of the community, the targeted killings of Shia, particularly in Quetta - the capital of Balochistan province - has amounted to a
genocide .
1,000 killed + 3,000 disabled out of 500,000 means 5 in every 100 homes have buried a loved one or an injured at home. #Hazara #ShiaGenocideHaider Changezi
Lost a cousin on 6th Muharram blast in #Rwp,lost 2 more in #Quetta tonight on 28th Safar. #RIP #ShiaGenocide #ShiaKillings Iltimaas e FatehaSyed Hasan Abbas
And its not just me alone,almost every #Shia in #Pak has lost his near n dear ones in the ongoing #ShiaGenocide in #PakistanSyed Hasan Abbas
I've said it before and I'll say it again there's no sectarian war in Pakistan, there's a systematic eradication of a particular sect.George Fulton
Muzafar Ali's Twitter PhotoMuzafar Ali
I used to tell @khudiali about the security threats and always cautioned him.But he was brave and often told me that struggle was important.Raza Rumi
I fear for the life of every Shia Muslim in Pakistan. Friend's father shot yesterday. Many more killed today. Salute their perseverance.Usama Khilji
Shaheed Irfan @khudiali during protest D-Chowk Islamabad..What a brave man he was. :(( #Quetta http://pic.twitter.com/qKNRnZHzZeeshan
sharing this picture proudly today. Take us all, you bloody takfiri terrorists - YOU WONT TAKE OUR WORK @khudiali - http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151001171687062&set=a.10151001056857062.420173.125954437061&type=3&theaterSyed Ali Abbas Zaidi
Along with messages of condolences, some urged their followers to remember Khudiali's work and spread his message, which many say was best described in his Twitter
profile :
"I am born to fight for human rights and peace. My religion is respect and love all the religions."
Irfan @KhudiAli is what you call a REAL Mujahid. Died trying to save lives by documenting human rights violations. #PakistanJosh Shahryar شهريار
A humble request #Pakistan: Please RT @khudiali's tweets to make sure his voice is not silenced by those who killed him today. Let it echo!Fifi Haroon
@khudiali Speaking in a workshop in #Quetta.Theme of the workshop was Giving voice to voiceless. Will som1 speak 4 him http://pic.twitter.com/g6V8QFbiRoohullah Gulzari
When we lose some1 like Irfan @khudiali a little bit of all of us dies with him. An activist who died fighting for others. #Quetta #PakistanFifi Haroon
Irfan ws amazing person, he always requested, insisted & persisted to plz join our protest against #HazaraShiaKillings @MehrTarar @RazarumiRiaz Ali Toori
#Khudiali thankyou for speaking up for the rights of women. U helped in saving 3 minor girls from being given in marriage #SaluteSamar Minallah Khan
Everyone should take time to read through this young man's timeline: @khudiali Rights activist reported to have died in #Quetta #PakistanMyra MacDonald
Others, though, wanted more direct action, especially against the government in Islamabad, which they accuse of turning a blind eye to the "Shia genocide".
@Razarumi where is Zardari? Wake up him. #QuettaEhsan Amiri
.@SenRehmanMalik, @sharmilafaruqi @fispahani, instead of tweeting condemnations on twitter pls do something.Over a 100 people killed todayMaham Ali
3 journalist, 1 human rights activist (Irfan Ali) was among the 92 whose bodies Pakistan picked up today. Can we do something except vigil?Salman Ali Abidi
#Pakistan opposition leader Imran Khan uses terrorist attack to blame government - silent on the actual terrorists: https://twitter.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/289433493186949122Josh Shahryar شهريار
Word of the dozens dead, including Khudiali, quickly reached neighbouring Afghanistan and India.
In April, the Afghan capital, Kabul, was the site of a
protest against the targeted killings of the
Hazara ethnic group in Quetta.
The southwestern Pakistani city is home to a community of 500,000 largely Hazara Shia.
@nighatdad I have finished my school in Alamdar Road, was peaceful. Can't believe dozens killed by terrorists. My thoughts to all Pakistan.Ehsan Amiri
Demonstration for sectarian Peace. "Not the Pakistan we want" | FacebookFacebook
From India MT @shivanginipatha: Irfan Ali you died for humans you died fighting for their rights @khudiali you will live in our heartsbeena sarwar
Violence against Shia in Afghanistan has been fairly rare since the ousting of the Taliban from power in 2001, but more common in Pakistan, where many Afghans have migrated during the decades of war in the Central Asian nation.
In September
1998 , more than 500 Hazara Shia were killed by Taliban forces in the central Afghan province of Bamiyan. Those killings came a month after 4,000 Hazara Shia were killed in the northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif.
What's happening in Quetta now is what happened under the Good Taliban in Bamiyan in 1998. So think of what'll happen in 15 years and wherershakoor
The government of Australia has recently been
accused of cooperating with Pakistani authorities to keep Hazara asylum seekers from leaving the country. Many of the Hazara migrants of Afghanistan and Pakistan seek asylum in Australia and New Zealand.
Dears @JuliaGillard @bowenchris, these are the people you are punishing for seeking asylum: 115 killed http://nyti.ms/UZqAXP Shame! #auspolHadi Zaher
Though many took solace in Khudiali's constant struggle for peace, some saw an unfortunate irony in what had brought him to Quetta on Thursday.
Irfan (@Khudiali) was in Quetta to deliver a peace training to young activists. #RIPKhudiAliMarvi Sirmed
Khudiali's final tweet.
#Hazara families of #Machh,Khuzdir finally succumbed to the genocidal pressure&moving out. Sad day for diversity in #Balochistan.irfan
