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Sunni-Shi'ite unrest in Pakistan kills 14
Uneasy calm prevailed in northern Pakistan on Monday after the death of 14 people in riots triggered by a militant attack against a key local Shi'ite leader. Six members of one family were burnt alive in the sectarian violence. A curfew was imposed after 11 persons were killed and dozens other injured over the weekend in the city of Gilt. The injured cleric, Aga Ziauddin, and his bodyguard were taken to a military hospital by helicopter. However, the police failed to arrest the unidentified attackers who sprayed the Shi'ite cleric's car with bullets. His guards and two companions also received bullet injuries. Television footage showed troops still patrolling the street of Gilt city on Monday. The district deputy commissioner, Sajid Baloch, said that the situation was under control and that both Sunni and Shi'ite religious leaders would soon be issuing a joint appeal for peace. Baloch also reported that one of the attackers had been shot on the spot by Aga Ziauddin's guard. Over 50 shops belonging to Sunni Muslims have been burnt and government offices ransacked in adjoining Hunza Valley, while hundreds of angry protestors burnt tires and blocked roads in Skardu. The Dawn newspaper said the incident had been the worst since June, when six persons were killed in clashes between security forces and demonstrators. Military President General Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz are directly monitoring the security situation in the areas where sectarian difference occasionally result in violence. Posted by: Steve 2005-01-11 |
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