Pakistani Cleric Starts Long March over Shia Killings
A Pakistani religious leader has started a long march from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital Islamabad in solidarity with Shia Muslims demanding security.
Religious leader Tahir-ul-Qadri began a long march to honor more than 120 people who have lost their lives in the southwestern city of Quetta on Thursday.
He is scheduled to stage sit-in outside the parliament building in Islamabad.
This comes while the authorities in Islamabad have blocked the routes to the parliament house with parking containers.
Over three million people are expected to join Qadri.
Officials said that nearly ten thousands of policemen have been deployed on the Lahore-Islamabad main road for the security of the marchers.
Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, has warned of possible attacks on the marchers by the militants.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is in the southwestern city of Quetta for talks with Shia Muslim leaders, as a sit-in protest there enters its 3rd day.
Raja Pervez Ashraf arrived Sunday in Quetta to meet Shia Muslim families who have refused to bury their beloved ones after Thursday devastating bombings.
More than one hundred people were killed and two-hundred others were wounded in twin suicide attacks in an area dominated by Shia Muslims on Thursday. Outlawed terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
So far, the negotiations between Pakistani officials and Shia Muslim leaders have not been fruitful.
Thousands of people have gathered at the site of the multiple bombings, refusing to bury the bodies of 96 of the victims.
The protesters say they won't stop unless the army takes over Quetta to protect Shia civilians. They also want the Balochistan provincial government to be dismissed.
The latest violence comes as part of escalating attacks 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.
Source: Press TV
He is scheduled to stage sit-in outside the parliament building in Islamabad.
This comes while the authorities in Islamabad have blocked the routes to the parliament house with parking containers.
Over three million people are expected to join Qadri.
Officials said that nearly ten thousands of policemen have been deployed on the Lahore-Islamabad main road for the security of the marchers.
Interior Minister, Rehman Malik, has warned of possible attacks on the marchers by the militants.
Meanwhile, Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf is in the southwestern city of Quetta for talks with Shia Muslim leaders, as a sit-in protest there enters its 3rd day.
Raja Pervez Ashraf arrived Sunday in Quetta to meet Shia Muslim families who have refused to bury their beloved ones after Thursday devastating bombings.
More than one hundred people were killed and two-hundred others were wounded in twin suicide attacks in an area dominated by Shia Muslims on Thursday. Outlawed terrorist group, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, have claimed responsibility for the attack.
So far, the negotiations between Pakistani officials and Shia Muslim leaders have not been fruitful.
Thousands of people have gathered at the site of the multiple bombings, refusing to bury the bodies of 96 of the victims.
The protesters say they won't stop unless the army takes over Quetta to protect Shia civilians. They also want the Balochistan provincial government to be dismissed.
The latest violence comes as part of escalating attacks 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.
Source: Press TV
