7 Shiite pilgrims shot dead in Pakistan

AN UNIDENTIFIED gunmen opened fire on a bus stand in southwestern Pakistan yesterday, killing seven Shi’ite pilgrims waiting to travel to neighbouring Iran, police said.
The attack was the latest violence in the province of Baluchistan, which is beset by deadly sectarian conflict, a separatist insurgency and Taliban militant activity.
The seven men were killed as they waited for a coach in the Saryab district of Quetta, capital of the oil- and gas-rich province that borders Iran and Afghanistan.
“The attackers came on motorcycle and opened fire on the pilgrims. All seven Shi’ite pilgrims were killed on the spot,” Farid Breach, a senior police officer, told AFP. “It was a sectarian attack. The Shi’ites were the target.”
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the incident, which was confirmed by local intelligence officials.
Most Pakistanis are Sunni Muslims but the country has a significant Shi’ite minority.
Thousands of people have died in sectarian attacks in Pakistan since the late 1980s.

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