4 die in firing on Shia pilgrims bus in Pakistan
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, June 22,IRNA -- Unidentified gunmen Wednesday opened fire on a bus, carrying Shia Muslim pilgrims, in Pakistan's southwestern city of Quetta, and killed four people, police and witnesses said.
The pilgrims were heading to the border city of Taftan for their onward journey to Iran for religious rituals, police said.
Witnesses said that 11 persons were also injured in the attack at Akhtar Abad area of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan province. Police said that around 28 persons were on board when they came under attack.
The gunmen fled after the shooting.
No group claimed responsibility but Shia groups blame rival banned extremist group for such sectarian attacks.
There has been target attacks on Shia Muslims in Balochistan in recent days.
Last week gunmen shot dead a former medal-holder former Olympian and senior government officer,Ibrar Hussain, in Quetta in sectarim-motivated attack. Banned militant group ‘Lashkar-e-Jhangvi’ had taken responsibility for the attack.
Scores of Shia Muslims rushed to the hospital and chanted slogans against the sectarian group and the police for failure to curb sectarian attacks.
Shia leaders condemned the attack and said that sectarian elements are to destabilize the country and also create rift in the ranks of Muslims. They called upon the people to calm and help thwart plots hatched by the sectarian elements.
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