Pakistan probes assault on
Shias Authorities in Pakistan have ordered an
inquiry into an attack on Shia Muslims which left at least 43 people
dead as they marked the holy day of Ashura. A curfew is in place in the city of Quetta where the attack took
place, with soldiers patrolling its streets. Separately, 13 Shia women and children died in a stampede in
north-western Pakistan late on Tuesday. Pakistan has a history of clashes between radical groups among its
Shia minority and majority Sunnis. Interior Minister Faisal Saleh Hayat condemned the Quetta attack. "These misguided extremists want to create chaos in the
country," he said on Wednesday. "The government is aware of their designs and determined to
continue its fight against extremism and sectarianism." Mass funeral The authorities in Quetta said one person injured in the violence had
been arrested on suspicion of involvement in the attack. The man had been beaten by a mob and handed over to police.
The Associated Press news agency reported that there were two other
attackers, both of whom died. Homes, businesses and a mosque used by Sunni Muslims were torched by
rioters following the killings. Security had been tight on Tuesday for Ashura, following a similar
attack on a Shia religious gathering in Quetta last year that left 50
people dead. Tuesday's attack coincided with devastating explosions in the Iraqi
cities of Baghdad and Karbala that left nearly 200 dead - these too
targeted Shias who had been celebrating Ashura, the anniversary of the
death of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson.
The BBC Islamabad correspondent says it is unlikely the two events
were linked. Quetta's mayor said the inquiry there would investigate whether the
attack was the work of a local extremist group or if foreign elements
were involved. No group has said it carried out the attack. The city's chief Shia cleric, Allama Mahdi Najfi, said a mass funeral
was being prepared on Wednesday at the main mosque. However, he said it would not take place until 25 Shia youths
allegedly held by police for damaging public property were freed. Mob rampage Eyewitnesses to Tuesday's attack said that as the procession was
passing through the city's shopping district, a grenade was thrown,
followed by firing from automatic guns. Police at the scene say they were unable to tell whether the shots
were being fired on the procession or by Shias in self-defence. At least five policemen are among those reported dead.
Afterwards groups of angry Shias attacked shops, vehicles and
government property before security forces fired shots and tear gas to
disperse them. Late into Tuesday night, firefighters tackled blazes set by rioters.
About 60 shops, a cinema and a bank were burned. The exact number of dead remains unclear - some estimates put
casualty figures higher, and doctors say they expect the death toll to
rise. At least 100 people are in hospital receiving treatment. Short circuit The stampede that left 13 people dead took place in the town of
Parachinar, 250km (155 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad. Local officials said a short circuit plunged a mosque into darkness,
sparking panic. "Dozens of women and
children crammed on a staircase which collapsed under the
pressure," said Parachinar official Azam Khan. Another two people died in a
shooting incident during a Shia procession in Punjab province, while 40
more were injured following clashes between Shias and Sunnis in the town
of Phalia, 600km north-east of Quetta. Last July, Quetta was the
scene of one of the worst outbreaks of sectarian violence in Pakistan,
when attackers armed with machine guns and grenades stormed a Shia
mosque, killing 50 people who were praying inside. About 97% of Pakistan's population is Muslim, and Sunnis outnumber Shias by about four-to-one. Story from BBC NEWS: 2.3.04 |
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I
was present near the procession when we first heard an explosion
and then some people fired shots 
