More then 15 killed in D.I. Khan

Four killed in attack on Pakistan Shi'ite gathering, dozens hurt Sun, Nov 25 02:07 AM EST 1 of 3 By Saud Mehsud DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (Reuters) - A bomb killed at least four people and wounded about 70 near a Shi'ite procession in Pakistan on Sunday, police said, as the sect braced for major sectarian attacks by Sunni militants during a critical event in their religious calendar. Television footage showed the wounded being carried away in the northwestern city of Dera Ismail Khan, where a bomb targeting Shi'ites killed at least seven people, including four children, on Saturday. "Four bodies have been shipped here and more than three dozen are wounded. The death toll will likely rise because many of the injuries are serious," said Khalid Aziz Baloch, a doctor at a district hospital. The bomb, planted in a shop beside a street market, also wounded five security officials, said senior police official Malik Mushtaq. Hardline sectarian Sunni groups, which are becoming increasingly dangerous, have threatened more attacks as the Shi'ite mourning month of Muharram comes to a climax on Sunday. Security officials say organizations such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) are stepping up attacks on Shi'ites, who they regard as non-believers, in a bid to destabilize nuclear-armed, U.S. ally Pakistan and establish a Sunni theocracy. Al Qaeda, which is close to LeJ, pushed Iraq to the brink of a sectarian civil war several years ago with large-scale suicide bombings of Shi'ites. More than 300 Shi'ites have been killed in Pakistan so far this year in sectarian conflict, according to human rights groups. The campaign is gathering pace in rural as well as urban areas such as Karachi, Pakistan's biggest city. Shi'ites account for up to 20 percent of this nation of 180 million. Washington, a critical source of financial aid for cash-strapped Pakistan, has been pressuring the South Asian nation to crack down on militants based in tribal areas who cross the border to attack American-led forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan, meanwhile, faces major domestic security challenges from a wide range of groups, including the Taliban, who capitalize on issues such as unemployment, official corruption and poverty to recruit people. (Additional reporting by Jibran Ahmad in PESHAWAR; Wrtiting by Randy Fabi; Editing by Michael Georgy and Nick Macfie) ============== At least 7 killed in attack on Shi'ite procession in Pakistan Sat, Nov 24 11:42 AM EST 1 of 3 By Mehreen Zahra-Malik ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A roadside bomb killed at least seven people near a Shi'ite procession in Pakistan on Saturday, police said, with security forces on high alert over fears of large-scale sectarian attacks on the minority sect across the country. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed U.S. ally, is suspending phone coverage in many cities this weekend, an important one in the Shi'ite Muslim calendar, after a series of bomb attacks on Shi'ites triggered by mobile phones. Hardline Sunnis have threatened more attacks as the Shi'ite mourning month of Muharram comes to a climax. More than a dozen people have already been killed this week observing Muharram. Some Shi'ites have been receiving text message death threats. Saturday's attack occurred in the city of Dera Ismail Khan in Pakistan's northwest, a stronghold of al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militant groups who regard Shi'ites as non-Muslims and have stepped up sectarian attacks in a bid to destabilize Pakistan. Four children were among those killed by a 8-10 kg bomb set off by a television remote control device because cellphones were not operational, police said. Khalid Aziz Baloch, a senior medical official, said 30 people were wounded. The explosion was so powerful that it hurled a young boy onto a rooftop from a street, where a man later carried away half of his body, as a policeman with a bomb detector and residents stood near blood stains. In neighboring Afghanistan, clashes between Shi'ites and Sunnis on Saturday left two students dead and wounded two more, police said. The fighting took place at Kabul University when Shi'ites were blocked from commemorating Ashura day inside a mosque on the campus. Mohammad Zahir, head of the criminal investigation department, told Reuters that gunshots were fired close to the university when Hazaras, a predominantly Shi'ite ethnic group, tried to carry out a revenge attack. Students were seen climbing on to police pickup trucks carrying bags and suitcases. Following the violence, the Higher Education Ministry announced the closure of all universities for 10 days from Sunday. Intelligence information indicates more attacks have been planned for the coming days in the capital, Islamabad, Karachi and Quetta. Mobile phone service will be suspended for hours in the three cities and dozens of others over the weekend. For the most part, Shi'ites and Sunnis live in harmony, but extremist groups have increased tensions. This week's violence against Shi'ites prompted Amnesty International to criticize the Pakistani government. "Amnesty International has recorded at least 39 attacks on Shi'a Muslims since the start of 2012," it said in a statement. "But despite the frequency of such violence, the Pakistani government has a poor track record of bringing the perpetrators - and those who incite them - to justice." In Pakistan's biggest city Karachi, more than 5,000 police are expected to patrol the streets during Muharram events over the next two days. Tens of thousands are expected to take part in processions in Islamabad. Muharram marks the anniversary of the Battle of Karbala, where the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad and his family members were killed. Western intelligence agencies have mostly focused on anti-American groups like al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan, paying far less attention to sectarian hardliners who are becoming an increasing deadly and effective force. Pakistani intelligence officials say extremist groups led by Lashkar-e-Jhangvi have intensified their bombings and shootings of Shi'ites in the hope of triggering conflict that would pave the way for a Sunni theocracy in U.S.-allied Pakistan. The schism between Sunnis and Shi'ites developed after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632 when his followers could not agree on a successor. Sunnis recognize the first four caliphs as his rightful successors. The Shi'ites believe the prophet named his son-in-law Ali. Emotions over the issue are highly potent in modern times, pushing some countries, including Iraq five years ago, to the brink of civil war. Pakistan is nowhere near that stage. But officials worry that LeJ and other groups have succeeded in dramatically ratcheting up tensions and provoking revenge attacks in their bid to topple the U.S.-backed government, which faces a host of other challenges as well which fuel instability. Pakistan's economy is weak, chronic power cuts cripple vital industries like textiles, and frustrations are growing over a lack of basic services and crumbling infrastructure. (Additional reporting by Mirwais Harooni in KABUL; Reporting by Jibran Ahmad in PESHAWAR and Mustansar Baloch in DERA ISMAIL KHAN; Writing by Michael Georgy) ================ Bomb kills three Yemenis marking Shi'ite Muslim Ashura festival Sun, 25 Nov 2012 06:08 GMT Source: reuters // Reuters (Corrects number of casualties in headline) SANAA, Nov 24 (Reuters) - At least three Shi'ite Muslims were killed on Saturday in a bomb attack targeting the first public commemoration of the anniversary of the death of a grandson of the Prophet Mohammad in the Yemeni capital in half a century. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but al Qaeda and its affiliates, comprising Sunni Muslim militants, have targeted Shi'ites in the past. Medics and local officials said 13 other people were also wounded in the attack on a hall where the Shi'ites were leaving the ceremony in Sanaa after the Ashura rituals which recall the death of Imam Hussein in Iraq in the year 680 AD. "Fourteen people were brought to hospital, and three of them have died," one medic at the Saudi German Hospital told Reuters. A statement issued by the Houthis, a Shi'ite armed group based in northern Yemen, said the attackers also sprayed the crowd with gunfire and fled. "We condemn this attack and consider the safety of Yemeni citizens the responsibility of the so-called national unity government," the statement said. Yemeni Shi'ites, who follow the Zaydi creed, have gained strength in Sanaa since President Ali Abdullah Saleh was forced to step down following an uprising against his 33 years in office earlier this year. Saleh kept the rebels in check in northern Yemen, launching repeated campaigns against them. Ashura rituals, which in other countries also involve self flagellation to express deep sorrow over the death of Imam Hussein, have been banned in Yemen since the 1,000-year Zaydi Imamate rule was overthrown in a coup in 1962. Analysts and diplomats say the ascent of the Houthis has turned Yemen into a new front in a long struggle between Iran and Western powers, centred on a nuclear programme that Israel and the West say is aimed at making atomic weapons. Iran denies those charges. (Reporting by Mohammed Ghobari; Writing by Sami Aboudi; Desking by Paul Simao) ============ Youth guard Ashura: 'I may be tired, but I am not afraid' By Rabia Mehmood Published: November 25, 2012 A young girl offers prayers on burning coals during Muharram. PHOTO: APP LAHORE: Shivering from a mixture of adrenalin and nerves, Farwa Sajjad took up guard duty outside the Jamia-tul-Muntazir in Lahore’s Model Town, the evening of Muharram 6. The petite 18-year-old was on edge after news reached of the attack on Rawalpindi’s Dhok Syeddan, which claimed 23 lives just hours earlier. However, when she saw a woman charging toward the gate of the Imambargah, knew what she had to do. “Farwa went after her, thinking she is a bomber, the shock has left her with a fever now,” explained Zahra Naqvi, one of the three young women on volunteer security outside the Jamia. Fortunately for all concerned, the woman was not a suicide bomber but an over-enthusiastic mourner eager to hear the Majlis. As Pakistan grapples with a surge in sectarian violence, hundreds of young people in Lahore, like Farwa are placing themselves in harm’s way amid growing doubt that the state is capable of providing security. The trust in the police to afford any kind of protection is at an all-time low. Inside the small tent like make-shift partition, set up for the women devotees’ body search, Farwa took rest while her two friends strictly checked each woman and even their babies. “Aunty you cannot bring a huge handbag and please next time, use a transparent bag for Niaz (food for distribution among mourners and devotees) too,” said Zahra Naqvi with an authoritative tone, to the slightly annoyed woman attendee of the Majlis. “We do not care what people think about us being strict, this is for their own good and protection, they must understand and follow the rules,” Naqvi said, in between the alert body searches. Meanwhile, Saba Syeda Naqi, one of the trio on duty, and their course mate at the religious school of Shia Islam inside the Jamia-tul-Muntazir, explained how the girls ended up working security. “We were asked by our teachers at school, because after the Gamay Shah attack, we needed to protect our own and there is a huge difference between our security and police’s,” she emphasised. “We cannot trust the police, you see they just fulfill the formality, and we satisfy our hearts through this security too.” The Karbala Gamay Shah Imambargah, the main site of Shia Muslims’ procession, saw suicide bombing which killed at least 18 and injured scores, on the death anniversary of Caliph Ali (RA), on Lahore’s Lower Mall, in September 2010. After this attack, on the following Ashura in 2011 and at the current one the community has made a concerted effort to call young volunteers for security. “We were at the procession and the security was not enough,” said Naqvi. “That is why my cousins and I volunteer in different parts of the city during Muharram.” Right outside the women’s security tent on the main road, two male students of the Jamia, were on duty checking male attendees. On the main road, leading toward the Jamia, armed policemen were standing on pickets, but the final and thorough check was being done by the youth volunteers. Lahore has had a Haidri Scout Volunteers group for years, but the primary job of the group had been providing first aid to the mourners during the Ashura procession, and then help distribute sabeel or food. Nabeel* a 21-year-old volunteer for the Nisar Haveli, one of the central sites of Lahore’s main Ashura procession discusses the trust deficit towards the state. “We do not trust the police’s body search at all. So we ensure that we should at least do those ourselves,” he said. Other than the Ashura procession of Nisar Haveli which concludes at Karbala Gamay Shah, Model Town has been the site of another procession attended by thousands since partition in Lahore. Rakhshanda Zaidi or Baji Rakhshanda as she is known by those who visit the Jamia-tul-Muntazir regularly is the organiser of security in the women’s section and looks after administrative affairs. Baji Rakhshanda said, “The government is soft on the Taliban and groups attacking the Shia Muslims, there is definitely a lax in security somewhere, which leads to the sectarian groups attacking us.” Media creates fear: Rana Sanaullah The Punjab government has been criticised for their inability to control sectarian outfits like the banned Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) with roots in the province and now operating in their midst. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah holds the media responsible for the prevailing fear among the people of Pakistan and especially the Shia Muslims. “We have had bombings with very high death tolls in Punjab, but now the tolls are not as high, but the entire nation is scared, which is primarily due to the media’s focus on terrorists’ conquests.” Sanaullah adds that the image of the terrorist as the winner and the security forces and government as the losers is constructed by the media. “We try our best and have increased the security. The routes are well-guarded. But in an open arena, with thousands of people gathered at one place, ensuring that the security is foolproof is not possible,” Sanaullah says. “It is not that the rituals of Ashura take place within closed walls, where it would be easy for us to provide foolproof security, but we do try our best.” Sanaullah lamented that the policemen on security duty need people’s support instead of criticism. Attacks on Shias to persist, fear analysts Human rights organisations at home and abroad have repeatedly stated that the Pakistani state has failed to protect Shia Muslims. Dr Hassan Askari Rizvi said that since Pakistan’s religious discourse is sectarian and since the state is in retreat in the case of terrorism already, the country would need a generational process to undo the process of religious orthodoxy in politics. The matter of protecting the vulnerable sections of the society has gone beyond the domain of the police or just one government department, opined Wajahat Masood, Assistant Professor at BNU and political analyst who has written extensively on secularism in the country. “Security cannot be ensured in a compartmentalisation. The political and economic patronage of every armed group needs to be taken away. Such views, that a group involved in militant activity in Afghanistan or Kashmir, serves a purpose for Pakistani state, need to be forsaken altogether.” Masood added that the roots of sectarianism run deep, and the ensuing violence may eventually extend to all Pakistanis. “Saying that just one outfit like the SSP is sectarian is not correct; every outfit with arms like the Taliban are anti-Shia and religious minorities. My fear is that yesterday they came for Ahmadis, the Christians, today they are coming for Shias and tomorrow they will come for me.” Despite the imminent threat during Ashura, volunteers like Farwa and her friends keep guard with the help of one lady police constable at the Jamia. As an afterthought, Farwa added, “I might be tired, but please do not think that I am scared because I am the servant of my Imam and I will not deter ====================