Two Shias Killed in Violence in Pakistan's Punjab Province

Lahore: At least two Shia men were killed and over 30 others injured in a deadly sectarian clash in Pakistan's Punjab province, forcing authorities to deploy paramilitary forces in the area, police said on Wednesday.

The clash between two sects -- Shia and Sunni -- took place in Kalabagh Town Mianwali district, some 400 km from Lahore starting on Monday evening and continuing through Tuesday till late evening.

Tension was simmering between the two sects over taking out a procession in connection with the Chehlum of Imam Hussain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad, in Kalabagh Town through a certain route.

A senior police officer told PTI on Wednesday that the Sunnis had objected that the Shias should not be allowed to take out a procession on a route which had their mosques. However, the Shias insisted that they would take out the procession in the town without caring about any restrictions.

The officer said that the Shias took out the procession on the ‘certain route’ that caused the sectarian clash.

“The crossfire between the two sects started on Monday evening and lasted till late on Tuesday night. Some 33 people with bullet wounds were shifted to hospital where two Shia men succumbed to their injuries while the condition of three to four others is critical,” he said.

Some armed Sunni men first opened fire on the Shia procession which led to the armed clash. Besides the dead, most of the injured belong to the Shia sect.

The police officer further said elements of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), an anti-Shai outfit, could be behind this incident.

Punjab Inspector General Police Dr Usman Anwar rushed to the troubled town and imposed a ban on the assembling of four people, in the whole district of Mianwali.

Following the deadly clash, Pakistan Rangers were deputed to the area to maintain law and order and both rangers and police personnel deployed in Mianwali held patrolling in the town on Wednesday.

Clerics belonging to different schools of thought also visited the district as part of the government's efforts to maintain peace.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Republic and is published from a syndicated feed.)