Impact of Ethnic Violence on Shia Hazaras of Pakistan

Abstract

The Shia Hazara community in Pakistan has long faced persistent violence, discrimination and harassment in various forms. Although the frequency of such incidents has decreased in recent years, they continue to experience threats, albeit with lower intensity. Using a mixed-method approach, this article incorporates both survey questionnaires and elite interviews to explore the Hazaras’ experiences with violence and discrimination. The descriptive statistics and thematic content analysis with visualisations of survey responses and interviews reveal four overarching themes: the nature and frequency of violence, its impact on daily life, factors contributing to exclusion and marginalisation, and community-led conflict management and trauma coping mechanisms. The article underscores that beyond ethnic and religious factors, there are additional local and international drivers of violence against Shia Hazaras, which have not received sufficient scholarly attention. The article recommends that the adoption of inclusive policies by the government will help to mitigate ongoing violence and exclusion.