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8 Pakistanis Martyred on Bus in Southwest Pakistan

8 Pakistanis Martyred on Bus in Southwest Pakistan
folder_openAsia-Pacific... access_time9 years ago
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Local Editor

Terrorists opened fire on a bus carrying Shiite Muslims in the southwestern city of Quetta on Thursday, martyring eight of them, just days ahead of the holy month of Muharram, police said.

8 Pakistanis Martyred on Bus in Southwest PakistanThe latest sectarian violence happened at a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the city, capital of restive Baluchistan province.


"At least nine Hazara Shiites were sitting in a minibus after buying vegetables when two gunmen opened fire on them with automatic weapons, killing eight of them and wounding another one," senior local police official Imran Qureshi stated.


City police chief Abdul Razzaq Cheema also confirmed the incident and casualties.


Muharram Month has frequently been marred by violence in recent years.
Ethnic Hazaras, who are predominantly Shiite, are among the worst hit because their Central Asian features make them stand out.


The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said that as many as 200,000 had fled Baluchistan over the past 10 years, either relocating in the country's major cities or seeking asylum abroad.


At least 24 Hazara visitors were killed in June when their bus was targeted by suicide bombers.
Two devastating bombings in Quetta targeting the city's Shiites martyred nearly 200 people last year and were claimed by LeJ, which has links to al-Qaeda.


Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team