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Shiites refuse to end protest unless army deployed in Quetta

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Islamabad, Jan, 13, IRNA -- Hundreds of Shiites Saturday refused to end sit-in unless the army is deployed in Quetta where a string of deadly blasts killed nearly 100 people on Thursday.

The Prime Minister sent federal ministers to Quetta but the protestors rejected call for ending the protest they had started on Friday. They have also placed bodies of the slain men.

The protestors said the provincial government has failed to protect Shiites and they want the army's protection.

The protesters, including women, children and the elderly, gathered at Alamdar Road with the bodies of over 80 people killed in bomb attacks Thursday night.

Despite the biting cold, the protesters said their sit-in would continue till authorities acted to improve security. The protesters said that they would not bury their loved ones till the army gave an assurance that it would take administrative control of Quetta.

Leaders of the community said the Balochistan Government has lost moral ground to rule and demanded that the army be deployed in Quetta to prevent sectarian attacks.

The Hazara community called for removal of the provincial government and handing over the city's control to the army for an operation to arrest the attackers.

Government officials held negotiations with leaders of the Hazara community and requested them to end the protest and bury the bodies, but they refused to do so.

A Shia Muslim leader publicly criticised Pakistan Army chief General Ashfaq Kayani over the security in the country.

"I ask the army chief: what have you done with these extra three years you got (in office)? What did you give us except more death?" Maulana Amin Shaheedi, who heads a national council of Shia organizations, told a news conference.

His statements highlighted Shia community's frustrations with Pakistan's failure to contain militant groups who have vowed to wipe out Shias.

The attacks, coupled with violence in the northwest, revived warnings from analysts that militancy could threaten national elections, expected some time in May.

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Islamic Republic News Agency/IRNA NewsCode: 80496078