Thousands protest against Pakistan deadly sectarian attack

Thousands of Shiite Muslims took to the streets in various cities of Pakistan on Friday AFP correspondents said a day afer sectarian attacks in the northwest killed 43 people including women and childrenGunmen opened fire Thursday on two separate convoys of Shiite Muslims travelling with police escorts in Kurram a district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province near the Afghanistan border with a history of bloody sectarian violenceSeveral hundred people demonstrated in Lahore Pakistans second city an AFP photographer there sawWe are tired of counting the bodies How long will this bloodshed continue Khanum NidaJafri a 50yearold religious scholar protesting told AFPDo our oficials not consider Shiites as part of their own population When will they wake up he saidWe are demanding peace for our children and women Are we asking too muchHundreds also demonstrated in Pakistans commercial hub KarachiIn Parachinar the main town of Kurram district thousands participated in a sitin while hundreds attended the funerals of the victims mainly Shiite civilians resident Muhammad Ali told AFPFollowing the funerals the youth gathered chanted slogans against the government and marched toward a nearby security checkpoint Ali saidA senior administration oficial speaking on condition of anonymity told AFP that some broke CCTV cameras at the checkpoint burned tyres and caused damage to property before the situation deescalatedMobile signal across the district was shut down for several hours according to the oficialA curfew has been imposed on the main road connecting Upper and Lower Kurram and the bazaar remained completely closed with all traffic suspended he said Tribal feuds Clashes have erupted over several months between Sunni and Shiite Muslim tribes in the area which was formerly semiautonomousTribal and family feuds are common in Sunnimajority Pakistan where the Shiite community has long sufered discrimination and violenceThursdays attacks also lef 16 people wounded 11 of whom were in critical condition senior administrator Javed Ullah Mehsud told AFPMehsud said that a local jirga or tribal council has been convened to help restore peace and orderPrevious clashes in July and September killed dozens of people and ended only afer a jirga called a ceasefireThe latest violence drew condemnation from oficials and human rights groupsThe frequency of such incidents confirms the failure of the federal and provincial governments to protect the security of ordinary citizens the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan HRCP saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever