Thousands of ethnic Hazara women are refusing to bury their loved ones until the Pakistani government takes action against plotters who bombed a market and killed 89 people. Shia Muslim Hazaras say they receive no protection from the police or the army in the face of repeated attacks on their minority group. Saturday's blast in a food market was the second large-casualty attack on the group in a month. Today, thousands of women took to the streets to demand protection from the Sunni militants who have long targeted them because they do not view them as 'real Muslims'. The refusal of the Hazara women to follow the customary Islamic ritual of burying the dead as soon as possible is seen as 'the last stand' of the persecuted minority.
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Estimated 15,000 Shiites protested over Saturday's bomb in a food market
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Ethnic Hazara women furious at lack of protection from Quetta authorities
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Their protest started after they took bodies of dead to mosque yesterday
Hundreds of protesting @placeholder paralysed key areas of the city by blocking major roads, including the one that leads to the airport.