Pakistanis protest Shia Muslims killings

Following the recent blasts in the Shia-dominated northwest of Pakistan, angry demonstrators in the country have taken to the streets to protest against the killing of the Muslims.

In the city of Quetta and the port of Karachi, protesters chanted slogans against the United States and the Israeli regime, blaming them for the killing of Muslims in Pakistan and other parts of the world.

They also slammed what they called the pro-Saudi administration of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif for its failure to halt the violence against Shias.

The protesters also denounced the United Nations for its silence over the killings of Shia Muslims in Pakistan, Syria and Iraq.

On July 26, over 50 people died in two powerful explosions in the Shia-majority town of Parachinar in Pakistan’s tribal region of Kurram. Nearly 200 people were also injured.

The first blast was shortly followed by another explosion at a Shia mosque.

Violence has escalated against Shia Muslims in different parts of Pakistan in recent months. Since the beginning of 2012, hundreds of Shias have been killed in the country.

Quetta, the capital of Pakistan’s restive southwestern province of Balochistan, has witnessed several instances of violence directed against the Hazara Shia community in recent months.

Several Shia religious gatherings have also been targeted in the central province of Punjab over the past months.

Shia Muslims in Pakistan say the government must take decisive action against the forces involved in the targeted killings. They also accuse Islamabad of failing to provide security for Muslims.