The Hindu : Sectarian violence flares up in Quetta

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 03, 2004

International

International

Sectarian violence flares up in Quetta

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, MARCH 2. At least 29 persons were killed and several were injured when a Muharram procession came under indiscriminate fire in a congested area of Quetta, capital of Baluchistan, today.

According to reports reaching here, a loud explosion preceded the firing. No one has taken responsibility for the attack.

News of the attack led to a riot-like situation with people from rival sects taking to streets and attacking each other. Curfew was imposed in the city and all processions were stopped.

The President, Pervez Musharraf, and the Prime Minister, Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali, ordered an investigation into the attack and vowed to punish the culprits. While the police had no clue till evening about the identities of the attackers, the Information Minister, Sheikh Rashid Ahmed, suggested that it was the handiwork of sectarian terrorists.

The incident took place despite stringent measures taken by the authorities throughout Pakistan to prevent any untoward incidents on the occasion of Muharram. In recent months, Gen. Musharraf has been saying the biggest threat to Pakistan came from within and from sectarian and fundamentalist forces. He has announced several measures including ban on several sectarian outfits. Observers believe that the determination to stamp out sectarian hatred is not percolating to the ground level.

The Quetta incident occurred quiet close to the mosque attacked in July last year when 50 people were killed. Initially, Pakistan had talked about possible involvement of "foreign hand" and cited the pro-active role of Indian missions in the border towns of Afghanistan and Iran. The allegation died down after a while and till date no one has any clue about those responsible for the massacre. As unrest spread in Quetta, a television network office and several shops were set afire. The television network incurred the ire of one of the sects after it allegedly telecast derogatory remarks about the practitioners.

Meanwhile, two persons were killed and 40 other were wounded in a clash between Shias and Sunnis in Phalia, a town in Punjab province. The shootout happened during a Shia procession and miscreants from both sides set several houses on fire.

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