Pakistan Shop Owners Observe Strike
Associated Press
April 14, 2006
By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer
Shops closed Friday to observe a strike called by Sunni Muslim clerics to protest a suicide bombing that killed scores of people in the southern Pakistani city, including three moderate Sunni leaders.
No one claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack that killed 56 people and the bomber at a religious gathering in Karachi organized by the moderate Sunni Tehrik group to mark the birthday of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The attack sparked clashes between angry Islamists and police, prompting authorities to deploy troops to restore order. Nobody was injured in the violence, although mobs burned several buses and vehicles.
Friday's strike came a day after more than 50,000 mourners attended the funerals of the three religious leaders.
Shops were shuttered and few vehicles were seen on the roads in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, due to fears of more violence.
Meanwhile, Islamists in Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore, the northwestern city of Peshawar and the southwestern city of Quetta held small rallies condemning the attack and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. The protesters dispersed peacefully.
Some shop owners in other parts of the country also closed their shops in sympathy with the strike, though most businesses remained open elsewhere.
Officials have said that Tuesday's attack was aimed at wiping out the leadership of Tehrik, a rising Sunni Muslim political force. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has ordered federal intelligence agencies and police to capture those who planned the blast.
Police say they were holding a Shiite Muslim who was among those wounded in the bombing. The man was not being treated as a suspect, but authorities say they want to know why he attended the Sunni gathering.
Pakistan has a history of sectarian violence.
Although most Sunni and Shiite Muslims live peacefully together, radical groups on both sides keep targeting each other's leaders. About 97 percent of Pakistan's 150 million population is Muslim, and Sunnis outnumber Shiites by about 4-1.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press.
April 14, 2006
By ZARAR KHAN, Associated Press Writer
Shops closed Friday to observe a strike called by Sunni Muslim clerics to protest a suicide bombing that killed scores of people in the southern Pakistani city, including three moderate Sunni leaders.
No one claimed responsibility for Tuesday's attack that killed 56 people and the bomber at a religious gathering in Karachi organized by the moderate Sunni Tehrik group to mark the birthday of Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The attack sparked clashes between angry Islamists and police, prompting authorities to deploy troops to restore order. Nobody was injured in the violence, although mobs burned several buses and vehicles.
Friday's strike came a day after more than 50,000 mourners attended the funerals of the three religious leaders.
Shops were shuttered and few vehicles were seen on the roads in Karachi, Pakistan's largest city, due to fears of more violence.
Meanwhile, Islamists in Karachi, the eastern city of Lahore, the northwestern city of Peshawar and the southwestern city of Quetta held small rallies condemning the attack and demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. The protesters dispersed peacefully.
Some shop owners in other parts of the country also closed their shops in sympathy with the strike, though most businesses remained open elsewhere.
Officials have said that Tuesday's attack was aimed at wiping out the leadership of Tehrik, a rising Sunni Muslim political force. President Gen. Pervez Musharraf has ordered federal intelligence agencies and police to capture those who planned the blast.
Police say they were holding a Shiite Muslim who was among those wounded in the bombing. The man was not being treated as a suspect, but authorities say they want to know why he attended the Sunni gathering.
Pakistan has a history of sectarian violence.
Although most Sunni and Shiite Muslims live peacefully together, radical groups on both sides keep targeting each other's leaders. About 97 percent of Pakistan's 150 million population is Muslim, and Sunnis outnumber Shiites by about 4-1.
Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press.
posted by Unknown | 7:13 AM
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