Pakistan

Taliban militants shoot and kill Sunni leader in Lahore

338582_Sectarian-killingsPro-Taliban militants have shot and killed a prominent regional Sunni leader in eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, security sources say.

Local security officials say violence broke out in Lahore when gunmen shot dead Maulana Shamsur Rehman Muavia, the Punjab chief of a religious and political party called Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama (ASWJ).

“Two gunmen riding a motorbike opened fire on Muavia’s vehicle, wounding him and his driver critically,” media outlets quoted a senior local police official, Rana Abdul Jabbar 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 attack, but pro-Taliban militant groups have been blamed for such sectarian attacks in the past.

Following the incident, protesters took to the streets across Lahore to denounce the ongoing violence against Shia and moderate Sunni Muslims.

“We ordered shops in and around Anarkali area to be closed in order to prevent any loss to public property as the demonstrators got violent,” the police official added.

This comes days after a prominent Shia leader Allama Deedar Ali Jalbani was shot dead along with his guard in the southern port city of Karachi on Tuesday.

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

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

Militants have carried out numerous attacks against security forces as well as civilians, and managed to spread their influence in various regions of the country, despite frequent offensives by the Pakistani Army.

Thousands of Pakistanis have lost their lives in bombings and other militant attacks since 2001 when Pakistan entered an alliance with the US on the so-called war against terrorism.

Thousands others have been displaced by the wave of violence and militancy sweeping across the country.

Since late 2009, there has been a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan.

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