‘Born Pakistani, he died a Hazara’

This is one of the most powerful stories that I’ve read this year. 

It’s by Amir Mateen and was published in The News in Pakistan on May 31. Here’s the standfirst.

QUETTA: Major Shafaat died a sad broken man. Abandoned by his institution. Betrayed by childhood friends. Forsaken by his hometown. His only fault was to have been born different. A man with a flat nose and chinky eyes. An ethnic Hazara.

Through the short life of Major Shafaat, the journalist writes about the discrimination that Hazaras experience in Pakistan. It’s a stark look at how even in the 21st century, there are many like Major Shafaat who will never be allowed to be their own person, but will always be defined by how they look like and what their ethnic background is.

Read the full story here. (I first came across the story via @robcrilly)