Pakistanis targeted in UK riots - Pakistan Observer

THREE Pakistanis became target of riots in Birmingham as they were rammed by carload of suspected looters during violent disturbances in the second largest UK city. While the British Prime Minister David Cameron promised Wednesday not to let a culture of fear take hold, tensions flared in Birmingham where the Pakistanis became victim of senseless violence by citizens of a country, that projects itself as the most civilized society in the world.

The three Pakistanis aged between 20 to 31, were members of Birminghams South Asian communities who had been patrolling their neighbourhood to keep it safe from looters. Eye witnesses said that they were victims of a hit and run in the early hours of Wednesday as the car was deliberately driven at them not only to kill them but create a sense of fear among the expatriates. The Pakistanis lost their lives for other people and by doing the job of the police as they were standing outside shops and protecting the community. Amid fears that the deaths could spark inter-communal reprisals, Tariq Jehan, the distraught father of victim Haroon Jahan made an emotional appeal to the community not to seek revenge against the cars occupants and pleaded the youth to remain calm. That was a clear and loud message from the Pakistani-UK national that they were peaceful people and believed in ethnic harmony. Visiting Birmingham on Wednesday, Cameron described the deaths as a truly dreadful incident, adding that the police were working night and day to get to the bottom of what happened and bring the perpetrators to justice. As Cameron stated the authorities were fighting back to the rioters. The root cause of which was mindless, selfishness and complete lack of responsibility in the British society. According to some reports, the people who looted shops, stores and burnt them were young Britishers, many of them belonging to wealthy families. The riots, one hopes would be brought under control soon but they leave a clear message for the politicians in the country in general and in the government in particular that they need to pay more attention to the ills in their own society rather than becoming champions of human rights in other countries, while these were being flagrantly violated without slightest respect to the law of the land.