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India-Pakistan
Mufti and PirÂ’s supporters fight it out
2006-03-28
Followers of Mufti Munir Shakir and Pir Saifur Rehman were involved in a gunfight in the Sur Dhand area of Bara in Khyber Agency on Monday, in which at least five people were killed and 25 injured. Sources told Daily Times that the gunfight was still underway till the filing of this report. Reports from Bara suggest that the group of MuftiÂ’s supporters asked Badshah Jee, an Afghan refugee and follower of the Pir, to vacate his house at Sur Dhand and hand over weapons to them. Badshah Jee, however, did not comply and the Mufti Group moved to occupy his house by force. Both the groups used heavy weapons against each other, which led to considerable bloodshed on both sides. Those killed have been identified as Nama Jan, Gul wali, Shango, Rahim and Feroz Khan.

Meanwhile, a press note released from the GovernorÂ’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) Secretariat said that the situation in Bara was normal on Monday after an armed clash between two rival religious groups that left four-five people injured. The clash occurred when followers of Mufti Munir Shakir tried to set BadshahÂ’s house in Malik Din Khel on fire. The owner of the house, in retaliation, opened fire on the attackers, who were headed by Mangal Bagh. The political administration exercised maximum restraint, but finally ordered security personnel to open artillery fire to bring the situation under control, the release said.
Posted by:Fred

#2  I think newspapers are prejudiced. They constantly have articles about Mulim-against-Muslim violence, but never similar reportng about Lutheran, Episcopalian, Catholic, Jewish, or Bhuddist violence. What? Oh, never mind....
Posted by: Old Patriot   2006-03-28 15:37  

#1  From BBC: Hundreds of supporters of Mufti Munir Shakir are reported to have attacked the stronghold of rival Afghan cleric, Pir Saifur Rehman, killing at least 16 people late on Monday, officials say. Mullah Rehman's supporters are said to have retaliated on Tuesday, attacking their opponents in the nearby town of Bara. Our correspondent says Mufti Shakir is said to be a hardline fundamentalist who strongly opposes Mullah Rehman's secular Sufi interpretation of Islam. He says some of the dead are believed to be supporters of the Sufi cleric from Afghanistan.
Bara is the main trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan and is an important town in Khyber agency which borders Afghanistan. The town is also said to be a hub for smuggled goods. Both clerics have been operating illegal FM stations to broadcast their religious beliefs and denounce the rival group as heretics. The two groups have also accused each one another of taking women and children hostage.

Posted by: Steve   2006-03-28 08:30  

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