LAHORE, Pakistan (CNN) – Gunmen opened fire on a procession of Shiite Muslim worshippers in the southwest Pakistani city of Quetta, killing at least 22 people, government officials said.
Medical and police officials said at least 30 were wounded in Tuesday’s attack.
The procession of hundreds, including women and children, was part of a celebration marking Ashoura, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram. The shootings triggered a stampede, although there was no word of deaths resulting from the stampede.
Sectarian violence between extremist Sunni and Shiite groups has been responsible for many deaths in Pakistan.
Also Tuesday, a local Shiite leader was shot and killed in Mundi Bahauddin, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) northwest of Lahore. Individual sectarian killings are common in Pakistan.
Quetta was the site of one of the worst acts of sectarian violence in years in Pakistan when armed militants stormed a Shiite mosque last July, killing more than 50 people. The attackers tossed grenades and shot at worshippers during Friday prayers.
Pakistani soldiers try to control the crowd after Tuesday’s attack.
Authorities said they believed a Sunni extremist group may have been behind that attack.
Re: Firing on Shiite Muslim worshippers , 22 killed
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*Originally posted by Marathi Maanus: *
Authorities said they believed a Sunni extremist group may have been behind that attack.
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Well maybe they should try cracking down on them a bit harder then? If it's possible to kick out prime ministers how hard can it be to pin down these thugs?
every damn year these idiots do this. Fine..u dont agree with shia beliefs, thats your own deal..they are not forcing it on you. Why go and kill people..and to think that somehow in their twisted minds they are doing the right thing.
shameful..I am extremely disappointed that thugs like these have not been contained.
Well there will be some who claim that it's the work of outside forces who stand to gain from civil war in Pakistan but my view is I'm sure there are groups like Sipah Sehaba (now banned) or off-shoots of these who will stay silent or fail to condemn these murders. Instead of wasting time and resources worrying about the origins of local festivals, would it really be so hard to do some research on what type of incendiary hatred these people are preaching and prosecute them effectively?
Latest reports say 45 Killed in Attacks on Pakistani Shiites. I would say there are more Muslims killed by Shia-Sunni violence in Pakistan and other Muslim countries than Hindu-Muslim violence in India. Nearly 150 Shia's were killed in two attacks in Pakistan.
That is not to say what happened in Gujarat was right. Every right minded Indian should condemn Hindu-Muslim violence in India and the guilty Hindu or Muslim should be severly punished.
I think Pakistani Muslims should first put their house in order before criticisizing secular India on Hindu-Muslim violence.
Should I laugh or cry? Worldwide war against shias is in full swing. Mullahs are busy fighting america, useless pakistani soldiers are doing crowd control, while wahabis kill shias.
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*Originally posted by Marathi Maanus: *
I think Pakistani Muslims should first put their house in order before criticisizing secular India on Hindu-Muslim violence.
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By that token, Indians should fix their house 100% and then comment on anything else..right?
what is wrong is wrong..let people comment on whatthey see is wrong, now if one notices someone ignoring one issue and bringing another up..like "some" do, then thats a diff deal. But I for one, will nto stop criticising idiots no matter whether they are in pakistan, India, US, Middle east or burkina faso, lesotho and burundi.
The reactionary al-Qaida terror group dominated by Sunnis say ... that they have two enemies: the United States as the political enemy and Shiites as the ideological enemy.
Why not look at the overall geo-political situation of the vicinity where the massacre has happened. The shias have brutally conspired with the Americans in crushing the pakhtoons all over southern parts of Afghanistan; in kandahar, and adjacent places. Thousands upon thousands of pakhtoons have been killed after 9/11. Naturally, there's a lot of resentment, and I don't think this is the last one sadly, the entire political and social system of the country is messed up, and there will be many more incidents like these. Why Quetta? because it's a predominantly pashtoon city with wide-spread support of talibans and orthodoxy, and shias and the hazara minority stand to lose out because of what has been taking place in Afghanistan. What you sow, so shall you reap..
Pakistani security forces are doing most of the abuses ..
US says Pakistan security forces commit “widespread” rights abuses (12:20 PST)
WASHINGTON: The United States accused Pakistan’s security forces of committing widespread human rights abuses that include extrajudicial killings and the excessive use of force.
In its annual review on global human rights, the US State Department reproached the government of President Musharraf for intimidating and arresting opposition figures.
It also said the credibility of Pakistan’s judiciary was “low.” “In Pakistan, abuse by members of the security forces, ranging from extrajudicial killings to excessive use of force, is widespread,” the State Department’s 2003 review said.
“Corruption and inefficiency remained acute, although reforms initiated by the Musharraf government to reduce corruption have had some effect on officials at higher levels of government,” the report noted.
Gandalf, don't tell me all this, tell it to hundreds and thousands of pissed off pakhtoons in southern afghanistan, and refugees in baluchistan, whose relatives have been callously murdered by the americans, and their opportunistic shia allies. How in the world can you forget about people who were bombed to ashes, and their homes reduced to rubble, and the hazaras rampaging through afghanistan. Was it just collateral damage, and deemed to be forgotten with their burial, well, we can sure forget all that, but the ones who were left behind won't, so there you have it. How about the shia allies who are launching attacks in the Southern portions of Afghanistan now in lieu with the operation being conducted in the tribal region by the cowardly Pakistani army..? Do you think in the right frame of mind that there won’t be any repercussions when our own forces are acting like a bunch of Zionists thugs decimating houses of our own people..? This is what you get, widespread anger, and acts of revenge blinded by hatred.
This is indeed another sad day in Pakistan, as sectarian disturbings are at an all time low.
It happened in Rawalpindi (right next to a police thana), and now 35 people have been killed in Quetta. 15 or so people are also reported to have died in a seperate incident, in a stampede in Parachinar. The government has failed miserably in preventing all this.
Death toll in Quetta firing mounts to 35
(Updated at 0030 PST)
QUETTA: The hospital sources have put the death toll to 35 in Quetta tragedy when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a Youm-e-Ashur procession in Liaquat Bazaar, while several people were injured. Local administration has clamped curfew in the city after the incident.
The Chief Minister Balochistan has confirmed the death of 25 people killed in the brutal incident. However it is feared that the death toll could further rise in view of the critical condition of the injured.
Volley of bullets were fired on a procession of mourners in the busy Liaquat Bazaar area of the city at around 1.40 pm.
More contingents of Law Enforcing Agencies were deployed in the city as security was further beefed up in Quetta. Emergency was declared in all the hospitals of Quetta where condition of some wounded was stated to be critical.
Unidentified persons torched several government buildings and vehicles soon after the incident forcing administration to clamp curfew in Quetta. The schools will remain shut till 5th of march due to the curfew.
President and Prime Minister have ordered a high level inquiry into the incident.
Re: Firing on Shiite Muslim worshippers , 22 killed
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Marathi Maanus: *
The procession of hundreds, including women and children, was part of a celebration marking Ashoura, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram. The shootings triggered a stampede, although there was no word of deaths resulting from the stampede.
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Celebration is the wrong word here.
Outlaw I still remember the shia afghani who held a burnt Quran after his home was burned by the Taliban. How did the taliban treat them? the shia afghanis?
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Gandalf, don't tell me all this, tell it to hundreds and thousands of pissed off pakhtoons in southern afghanistan, and refugees in baluchistan, whose relatives have been callously murdered by the americans, and their opportunistic shia allies. How in the world can you forget about people who were bombed to ashes, and their homes reduced to rubble, and the hazaras rampaging through afghanistan. Was it just collateral damage, and deemed to be forgotten with their burial, well, we can sure forget all that, but the ones who were left behind won't, so there you have it. How about the shia allies who are launching attacks in the Southern portions of Afghanistan now in lieu with the operation being conducted in the tribal region by the cowardly Pakistani army..? Do you think in the right frame of mind that there won’t be any repercussions when our own forces are acting like a bunch of Zionists thugs decimating houses of our own people..? This is what you get, widespread anger, and acts of revenge blinded by hatred.
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1) You are implying that Shia and Pakhtoon are mutually exclusive which is not the case.
2) You have called the Pakistan army "cowardly". I was interested in knowing which army you consider "brave" the Saudis perhaps?
So the one that took place a few days back in Rawalpindi was also due to the geo-political vicinity with Afghanistan Thats funny, these attacks take place everywhere, be it Karachi, Multan, it has nothing to do with the US or the war against terror. Such things used to be done on an everyday besis even before this war started. I mean your hatred for the US is another thing, but trying to link it to this event is absurd.
Thats funny, these attacks take place everywhere, be it Karachi, Multan, it has nothing to do with the US or the war against terror. Such things used to be done on an everyday besis even before this war started. I mean your hatred for the US is another thing, but trying to link it to this event is absurd.