1988 Hyderabad, Sindh massacre

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The 1990 Hyderabad massacre, also known as "Black Friday" or "Pucca Qila massacre" was the coordinated massacre of more than 162 civilians in Hyderabad, Sindh on September 30, 1988.[1] Unidentified gunmen opened fire on large crowds belonging to the Muhajir National Movement and innocent bystanders, including women and children. Sindhi nationalists, including (Sindhi Baloch) Qadir Magsi and the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party, were widely seen as responsible for the massacre.[2]

The following day in ethnic rioting, which killed at least 46 people.[1] A curfew was enforced in both Karachi and Hyderabad.[3]

In total over 200 people died in the space of two days. MQM[clarification needed] would broaden its scope as a party of the middle class following this incident, emphasizing the common physical suffering of the Muhajir community in parallel to its socioeconomic decline.[4]

Background[]

The massacre was a result of brewing ethnic and political tensions between the Sindhi nationalists and the Muhajir communities during 1988.[5] Zia-ul-Haq, the unelected military dictator and self-styled President of Pakistan, had died in a plane crash earlier that year, leaving political and democratic possibility open in Pakistan. Demographic considerations were a huge part of political discourse that led to ethnic rioting throughout the late 1980s.

Trial and acquittal[]

Qadi Magsi was detained without trial for five years without conviction following the 1988 massacre. He was eventually released on bail pending trial.[6]

In July 2003, a Hyderabad trial court exonerated Magsi and eight other accused of the massacre.

The Sindh High Court upheld the trial court judgement in 2007, further exonerating 41 suspects.[6]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Ethnic Rioting in Karachi Kills 46 and Injures 50 The New York Times, October 2, 1988
  2. ^ "The Black Friday - 30 September 1988 Hyderabad | PDF | Murder | Crime & Violence". Scribd. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  3. ^ Verkaaik, Oskar. Migrants and militants: fun and urban violence in Pakistan. ISBN 0-691-18771-1. OCLC 1043701861.
  4. ^ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2015-08-15). The Pakistan Paradox. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-023518-5.
  5. ^ Zaidi, S. Akbar (1991). "Sindhi vs Mohajir in Pakistan: Contradiction, Conflict, Compromise". Economic and Political Weekly. 26 (20): 1295–1302. ISSN 0012-9976.
  6. ^ a b "Dr Qadir Magsi acquitted in 1988 Hyderabad massacre case". The Express Tribune. 2017-05-18. Retrieved 2021-10-14.


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