Sectarian violence on the rise in Pak.

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD, NOV. 14 The broad daylight killing of a high-profile Shia leader belonging to the Tehrik-e-Jafria in Peshawar on Thursday has brought to light the rising graph of sectarian violence in Pakistani society.

Unidentified gunmen shot Mr. Anwar Ali Akhunzada, the central general secretary of Tehrik-e-Jafria, near his residence in Peshawar city. A section of the press in Pakistan reported that the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a militant Sunni outfit, had claimed responsibility for the incident though the organisation disowned the fax message sent in its name to some newspapers.

This is the third high-profile murder of Shias in the North-West Frontier Province in the last three months. Recent weeks have witnessed heightening tensions between the two sects and authorities are worried about the repercussions of the latest incident.

Coming out strongly against the military Government for its alleged failure to prevent sectarian violence, the Tehrik-e- Jafria demanded concrete steps to apprehend those who were hell- bent on carrying out their agenda against various

sects. ``This is a slap on the face of the military Government,'' the TJP's provincial president, Sardar Mumtaz Ali Qazalbash, said in a written statement.

The sectarian feuds are not confined to Shias and Sunnis. There have been two shocking incidents involving the killing of the Ahmadiyas in recent weeks. On October 30, several unidentified gunmen killed five members of the Ahmadiya community as they left their mosque after early morning prayers in a village in Punjab province. It was followed by a similar incident in another village.

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Section  : International
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