Pakistan bomb explosion in Shia Muslims neighborhood kills 45

At least 45 people have been killed and 150 others injured in a bomb explosion in a Shia neighborhood of Pakistan’s port city of Karachi.

Reports say the blast, which took place in a Shia neighborhood of Abbas town on Sunday, also caused a number of homes to catch fire.

On Tuesday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered authorities “to take long-term measures” to protect the country’s Shia Muslims.

On February 16, a bomb attack targeting Shia Muslims in the main bazaar of the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta killed at least 90 people, including women and children, and injured more than 200 others.

According to the police, most of the victims were Hazara Shias.

Also on January 10, a twin bomb attack at a crowded billiard hall in Quetta, which is the capital of Balochistan Province, killed more than 90 people, mostly Shia Muslims.

In recent months, Pakistani people have been protesting in the streets against a rise on Shia killings.

Shias make up about 20 percent of Pakistan’s population of over 180 million.