Pakistani Counter-Terrorism Police Detain Sunni and Shia Leaders Over Recent Attacks
A Pakistani counter-terrorism police officer has announced the detention of several Sunni and Shia Muslim leaders in a probe into recent sectarian attacks in the southern port city of Karachi. Junaid Sheikh, the officer, stated that Faisal Raza Abidi, a former outspoken anti-Taliban Shia lawmaker from Pakistan’s liberal People’s Party, is among those facing questioning.
The police and Pakistan’s paramilitary forces have raided both Sunni and Shia religious seminaries over the last two days, detaining an unspecified number of people. Sunni and Shia activists have rallied in Karachi, protesting against the raids.
Pakistan’s Sunni militants, many of whom are affiliated with the Taliban and al-Qaeda, have long targeted minority Shias, considering them to be heretics. The police suspect that some of Karachi’s recent sectarian killings of Sunnis could be Shia militants’ work.
Published: November 07, 2016, 02:48 pm IST
