Terrorists kill Shia Muslim leader in Pakistani city of Karachi

Armed terrorists have killed a Shia Muslim leader and his security guard in the southern Pakistani city of Karachi, security sources say.

Police say violence broke out in the port city of Karachi when terrorists shot dead the deputy secretary general of a religious-political party called Majlis Wahdat-e Muslimeen Pakistan and his guard.

“Gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire on the vehicle of deputy secretary general of Majlis-i-Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), Allama Deedar Ali Jalbani, killing him and his guard,” media outlets quoted a senior local police official as saying.

Security sources said the attackers managed to flee the scene before policemen cordoned off the area.

No group or person has yet claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, but pro-Taliban militant groups have been blamed for such attacks in the past.

Following the massacre, protesters took to the streets across Pakistan to denounce the ongoing violence against Shia Muslims.

Attacks on Pakistan’s Shias, who make up about a third of the country’s population, have increased in recent years.

Several Shia religious gatherings have been targeted in different parts of the country over the past few months.

Most of the attacks are the work of extremists, many of whom affiliated with banned groups like pro-Taliban militants and terrorist Takfiri group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi.

The killing of Shias has caused an international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the ongoing deadly violence.

Human Rights Watch says hundreds of Shias were killed in Pakistan in 2012, which was the deadliest year on record for the Shia Muslim community.

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 the Muslim community.

The country’s Shia leaders have called on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate the bloodshed.