Two killed, several injured in attack on Pakistan Shia funeral
Iran Press TV
Mon Mar 4, 2013 5:22PM
At least two people have been killed and several others hurt in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi after gunmen opened fire on mourners attending a funeral held for the victims of a recent attack on Shia Muslims.
Officials said armed assailants shot and killed two participants of the Shia funeral procession near Al-Asif square in Karachi’s Sohrab Goth area on Monday, the Pakistani television network Dawn News reported.
The violent incident took place as mourners were returning from the funeral ceremony.
According to reports, dozens of vehicles were also set on fire in different areas of Sohrab Goth as violence erupted.
On Sunday, over 45 people were killed and 150 others wounded in a car bomb attack carried out in a Shia neighborhood of Karachi.
The local government announced one day of mourning. Shia groups have also called for three days of mourning for the victims.
Educational institutions, businesses and markets in Karachi remained closed on Monday.
Meanwhile, Shia Muslims from the Hazara community also staged similar demonstrations in the city of Quetta to condemn the bomb attack.
Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has also denounced the bombing and ordered an inquiry into the deadly incident.
Human Rights Watch says more than 400 Shias were killed in Pakistan in 2012, which was the deadliest year on record for the Pakistani Shia Muslim community.
On February 16, a bomb attack targeting Shia Muslims in the main bazaar of the southwestern city of Quetta killed at least 90 people, including women and children, and injured more than 200 others.
Also on January 10, a twin bomb attack at a crowded billiard hall in Quetta, which is the capital of Balochistan Province, killed more than 90 people, mostly Shia Muslims.
MKA/JR
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