Human RightsPakistan

Muslim People in Karachi protest Quetta bombings

shamseddin20130111153632147Pakistani Shias have staged a protest rally in the country’s largest city to condemn Thursday’s deadly bombings that killed more than 120 people.

The protesters took to the streets in Karachi on Friday, chanting slogans against the Great Satan US, which they said supports terrorism in the country.

A similar rally was also held in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province, where demonstrators demanded the deployment of army forces in the city to enhance security.

On Thursday, Pakistan was hit by several explosions that killed a total of 125 people in Quetta and the northwestern Swat valley district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The deadliest incident occurred when twin blasts targeted a crowded snooker club in a predominantly Shia area in Quetta.

The bomb explosions are the latest in a wave of attacks by militant groups which have been engaged in a violent campaign against Shia muslims in Pakistan over the past few years.

During a news conference, Maulana Amin Shaheedi criticized Pakistani Military Chief General Ashfaq Kayani for failing to provide security in the country.

Shaheedi said, “I ask the army chief: What have you done with these extra three years you got [in office]? What did you give us except more death[s]?”

The head of Human Rights Watch in Pakistan has also censured Islamabad for failing to protect Pakistan’s Shia community against terrorist attacks.

“Last year was the bloodiest year for Shias in living memory,” Ali Dayan Hasan said, going on to warn, “More than 400 were killed and if yesterday’s attack is any indication, it is just going to get worse.”

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