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SLUG: 2-313715 Pakistan / Attack (L)
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DATE=3/2/04 TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT TITILE=PAKISTAN / ATTACK (L) NUMBER=2-313715 BYLINE=AYAZ GUL DATELINE=ISLAMABAD ///// PLEASE UPDATE CASUALTY TOLL IN INTRO. AS NEEDED. ///// INTRO: In Pakistan, gunmen have killed at least 37 people in an attack on a procession of Shi'ite Muslim mourners marking a major religious holiday. More than 100 worshippers were injured; hospital officials say the death toll could rise because some of the wounded are in critical condition. Ayaz Gul reports from Islamabad. TEXT: Police and witnesses in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta say unknown gunmen opened fire on a procession of hundreds of Shi'ite Muslims as they marked the Muharram holiday. Officials say that there were also powerful explosions at the scene immediately after the gunfire. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Masood Khan has condemned the deadly attack. /// KHAN ACT /// This is definitely a dastardly act and this is condemnable. The initial reports that we have received are very disturbing. /// END ACT /// Angry Shi'ite mourners went on rampage after the attack. Provincial authorities have imposed an indefinite curfew in the city. Troops are patrolling the streets in an effort to prevent further violence. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack in Quetta. Last July, a suicide bombing on a Shi'ite mosque in the city killed more than 50 people. The latest attack is being linked to the ongoing rivalry between extremist Sunni and Shiite Muslims in Pakistan that has claimed hundreds of lives in recent years. Pakistan's president, Pervez Musharraf, has ordered an investigation into the attack and has vowed to punish those responsible. He also has promised compensation to the families of those killed or injured. (SIGNED) NEB/AG/KBK/RAE/KL/RAE |
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