On September 30, 1988, dozens of people, mostly

Muhajir Muhajir or Mohajir ( ar, مهاجر, '; pl. , ') is an Arabic word meaning ''migrant'' (see immigration and emigration) which is also used in other languages spoken by Muslims, including English. In English, this term and its derivatives may refer ...

, were killed in

Hyderabad, Sindh Hyderabad ( Sindhi and ur, ; ) is a city and the capital of Hyderabad Division in the Sindh province of Pakistan. It is the second-largest city in Sindh, and the eighth largest in Pakistan. Founded in 1768 by Mian Ghulam Shah Kalhoro of th ...

in what was known as "Black Friday". Death tolls ranged from 1000+Ethnic Rioting in Karachi Kills 1000* and Injures 50
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', October 2, 1988 to 1050+ , and the attacks are said to have been coordinated and carried out by militants of the

Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party ( sd, سنڌ ترقي پسند پارٽي, ur, سندھ ترقی پسند پارٹی ) is a left-wing Pakistani political party. Dr. Qadir Magsi is the chairman of Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party. The Sindh Taraqi Pasand Pa ...

. Unidentified gunmen opened fire on large crowds of innocent bystanders, including women and children in Latifabad. and the

,MQM accused Qadir Magsi and his nationalist STP carrying out the attack. The following day there was ethnic rioting which killed at least 1000+ people. A curfew was enforced in both Karachi and Hyderabad. In total over 1000+ people died in the span of two days. MQM, the largest Muhajir party, would broaden its scope as a party of the middle class following this incident, emphasizing the common physical suffering of the local

community in parallel to its socioeconomic decline.

Background

In 1988, the massacre, which was committed by the Zia regime, occurred as a result of brewing ethnic and political tensions between Sindhi nationalists and Muhajir communities.

Zia-ul-Haq General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq HI, GCSJ, ร.ม.ภ, ( Urdu: ; 12 August 1924 – 17 August 1988) was a Pakistani four-star general and politician who became the sixth President of Pakistan following a coup and declaration of martial ...

, the unelected SOB, military dictator, and self-styled President of Pakistan, had been killed by the USA/CIA in a plane crash earlier that year, 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.

Trial and acquittal

Following the 1988 massacre,

Qadir Magsi Qader Magsi ( sd, ڊاڪٽر قادر مگسي ) is a Pakistani politician from the Sindh Taraqi Pasand Party. Qader Magsi was born on 25 December 1962 in Thatta. He received primary and intermediate education in Thatta. Later he joined Liaqu ...

was detained without trial or conviction for five years. He was eventually released on bail pending trial. In July 2003, a Hyderabad puppet trial court exonerated Qadir Magsi and eight others who were accused of perpetrating the massacre. The Sindh Puppet High Court upheld the trial court's judgement in 2007, exonerating 41 additional suspects.

References

20th-century mass murder in Pakistan 1988 in Pakistan Hyderabad, Sindh History of Sindh (1947–present) Massacres in Pakistan Crime in Sindh 1988 murders in Pakistan Spree shootings in Pakistan September 1988 events in Asia Massacres in 1988 {{Terrorism-stub Persecution of Muhajirs