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'''Sectarian violence in Pakistan''' refers to attacks against people and places in [[Pakistan]] motivated by antagonism toward the target's sect, usually a religious group. Targets in Pakistan include the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]], [[Shia Islam in Pakistan|Shia]],<ref name="LoC">{{Cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Pakistan.pdf |title=Country Profile: Pakistan 75.6 % |date=February 2005 |work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Pakistan |quote=''Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96.3 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately percent are Sunni and 25 percent Shia.'' |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |accessdate=1 September 2010}}</ref> and the small [[Ahmadi]], [[Hindu]] and [[Christian]] religious groups. As many as 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Shia-Sunni sectarian fighting in Pakistan between 1987–2007.<ref name="csmonitor.com">[http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0202/p01s02-wosc.html "Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan," by David Montero, February 02, 2007]</ref> And since 2008 "thousands of Shia" have been killed by Sunni extremists according to the human rights group [[Human Rights Watch]].<ref name=HRW-2014/>
'''Sectarian violence in Pakistan''' refers to attacks against people and places in [[Pakistan]] motivated by antagonism toward the target's sect, usually a religious group. Targets in Pakistan include the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]], [[Shia Islam in Pakistan|Shia]],<ref name="LoC">{{Cite web|url=http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Pakistan.pdf |title=Country Profile: Pakistan 75.6 % |date=February 2005 |work=[[Library of Congress Country Studies]] on Pakistan |quote=''Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96.3 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately percent are Sunni and 25 percent Shia.'' |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |accessdate=1 September 2010}}</ref> and the small [[Ahmadi]], [[Hindu]] and [[Christian]] religious groups. As many as 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Shia-Sunni sectarian fighting in Pakistan between 1987–2007.<ref name="csmonitor.com">[http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0202/p01s02-wosc.html "Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan," by David Montero, February 02, 2007]</ref> Human Rights Watch also states that in 2011 and 2012 Pakistan minority groups Hindus, Ahmadi, and Christians "faced unprecedented insecurity and persecution in the country".<ref name=timeline>{{cite news|title=Timeline: Persecution of religious minorities|url=http://dawn.com/2012/11/04/timeline-persecution-of-religious-minorities/|newspaper=DAWN.COM {{!}}|date=4 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=World Report 2012: Pakistan|url=http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-pakistan|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=6 March 2013}}</ref> Attacks on Sufi shrines by [[Salafi]] have also been reported.<ref name=critical>{{cite web|url=http://criticalppp.com/archives/239339 |title=Sunni Ittehad Council: Sunni Barelvi activism against Deobandi-Wahhabi terrorism in Pakistan – by Aarish U. Khan |accessdate=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref name=NYTSufivideo/>

Human Rights Watch also states that in 2011 and 2012 Pakistan minority groups Hindus, Ahmadi, and Christians "faced unprecedented insecurity and persecution in the country".<ref name=timeline>{{cite news|title=Timeline: Persecution of religious minorities|url=http://dawn.com/2012/11/04/timeline-persecution-of-religious-minorities/|newspaper=DAWN.COM {{!}}|date=4 November 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=World Report 2012: Pakistan|url=http://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-pakistan|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=6 March 2013}}</ref> Attacks on Sufi shrines by [[Salafi]] have also been reported.<ref name=critical>{{cite web|url=http://criticalppp.com/archives/239339 |title=Sunni Ittehad Council: Sunni Barelvi activism against Deobandi-Wahhabi terrorism in Pakistan – by Aarish U. Khan |accessdate=12 December 2013}}</ref><ref name=NYTSufivideo/>
⚫
Among those blamed for the sectarian violence in the country are militant groups related to different sects and motivated possibly by foreign conspirators , such as the “Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP), also known as the Tehrik-e-Islami these days (related to “Shia Ulema Council” which has official ties with Iran, Sipah-e-Muhammad, founded by Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani, [[Lashkar-e-Jhangvi]], [[Sipah-e-Sahaba]], [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]] (affiliates of [[Al-Qaeda]]).<ref name="BBC2002">{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1758534.stm |title=Pakistan's militant Islamic groups |date=13 January 2002 |quote=[[Sipah-e-Sahaba]] or the Army of Prophet Mohammad's companions is a radical group from the majority Sunni sect of Islam}}</ref> [[Lashkar-e-Jhangvi]] "has claimed responsibility for most attacks" on Shia according to Human Rights Watch.<ref name=HRW-2014>{{cite web|title=Pakistan: Rampant Killings of Shia by Extremists|url=http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/29/pakistan-rampant-killings-shia-extremists|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=16 November 2014|date=June 30, 2014}}</ref> Sunni militant groups are also blamed for attacks on fellow Sunnis, [[Barelvi]]s and [[Sufi]]s.<ref name=bbc011302/> These attacks sometimes result in tit-for-tat reprisal attacks by the victims.<ref name=bbc011302>{{Cite web|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1758534.stm |title=Pakistan's militant Islamic groups |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=13 January 2002}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= http://ramansterrorismanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/09/attacks-on-shias-in-pakistan-message-to.html |title=ATTACKS ON SHIAS IN PAKISTAN, A MESSAGE TO IRAN TOO: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR—PAPER NO. 674 |publisher=[[South Asian Analysis]] |date=24 November 2014}}</ref>

Declared Shia Terrorist organizations in Pakistan:
1. “Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP), also known as the Tehrik-e-Islami these days, was formed in 1979 under the name Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqah-e-Jafaria [TNFJ], following the revolution in Iran, to spread a specific section and sectarianism in Pakistan. Due to allegations and links with terrorism, it was banned twice by President Pervez Musharraf's government and third time on November 5, 2011. In January 2002 President Musharraf arrested leaders of banned terrorist groups, and the continued operation of these groups under new names did not place effective curbs on the operation of these groups and connected individuals. By early 2003 virtually all the groups supposedly banned by Pakistan as terrorist organizations were allowed to function with impunity under new names. It is related to organization “Shia Ulema Council” which has official ties with Iran (see # 3).
2. Sipah-e-Muhammad, founded by Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani, is believed to have formed as a splinter of the larger and more mainstream, Shiite political organization, Tehreek-e-Jaferia Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan designated the Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization, and it is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law. As a result, its finances are blocked worldwide by the U.S government. In December 1990, the organisation's connection with the Shia regime in Iran led to the assassination of Iran's Counsel General, Sadeq Ganji, in Lahore by suspected Sunni terrorists. Currently Sipah-e-Muhammad is being led by Ghulam Raza Naqvi, who is in prison facing charges of his alleged involvement in 30 murder cases and dacoity. The group has an estimated cadre of 30,000.

Shia organizations with no terrorism label but official ties with Iran

3. Shia Ulema Council (S.U.C) is a Shiite Muslim religio-political organization in Pakistan and a board of Shiite Muslim clergy affiliated with the Islamic council of Iran. Its goal was to introduce Twelver Shiite Islam as personal law for the Shiite Muslims of Pakistan. It is also known as Islami Tehreek or Tehrik-e-Jafaria in Pakistan.


⚫
Among those blamed for the sectarian violence in the country are mainly Sunni militant groups, such as the [[Lashkar-e-Jhangvi]], [[Sipah-e-Sahaba]], [[Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan]] (affiliates of [[Al-Qaeda]]).<ref name="BBC2002">{{Cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1758534.stm |title=Pakistan's militant Islamic groups |date=13 January 2002 |quote=[[Sipah-e-Sahaba]] or the Army of Prophet Mohammad's companions is a radical group from the majority Sunni sect of Islam}}</ref> [[Lashkar-e-Jhangvi]] "has claimed responsibility for most attacks" on Shia according to Human Rights Watch.<ref name=HRW-2014>{{cite web|title=Pakistan: Rampant Killings of Shia by Extremists|url=http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/29/pakistan-rampant-killings-shia-extremists|publisher=Human Rights Watch|accessdate=16 November 2014|date=June 30, 2014}}</ref> Sunni militant groups are also blamed for attacks on fellow Sunnis, [[Barelvi]]s and [[Sufi]]s.<ref name=bbc011302/> These attacks sometimes result in tit-for-tat reprisal attacks by the victims.<ref name=bbc011302>{{Cite web|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1758534.stm |title=Pakistan's militant Islamic groups |publisher=[[BBC News]] |date=13 January 2002}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url= http://ramansterrorismanalysis.blogspot.com/2010/09/attacks-on-shias-in-pakistan-message-to.html |title=ATTACKS ON SHIAS IN PAKISTAN, A MESSAGE TO IRAN TOO: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR—PAPER NO. 674 |publisher=[[South Asian Analysis]] |date=24 November 2014}}</ref>


==Religions and sects==
==Religions and sects==

Revision as of 13:17, 15 December 2014

Civil war/sectarian violence in Pakistan
Part of the War on Terrorism
Location
 Pakistan
Result Ongoing
Belligerents

Sunni factions:

Non-Muslims

N.B.: The factional situation is complex; Sunni [Wahabis] have killed Shiite's in Pakistan[citation needed] and have colluded with government forces.[citation needed]

Sectarian violence in Pakistan refers to attacks against people and places in Pakistan motivated by antagonism toward the target's sect, usually a religious group. Targets in Pakistan include the Sunni, Shia,[1] and the small Ahmadi, Hindu and Christian religious groups. As many as 4,000 people are estimated to have been killed in Shia-Sunni sectarian fighting in Pakistan between 1987–2007.[2] Human Rights Watch also states that in 2011 and 2012 Pakistan minority groups Hindus, Ahmadi, and Christians "faced unprecedented insecurity and persecution in the country".[3][4] Attacks on Sufi shrines by Salafi have also been reported.[5][6]

Among those blamed for the sectarian violence in the country are militant groups related to different sects and motivated possibly by foreign conspirators , such as the “Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP), also known as the Tehrik-e-Islami these days (related to “Shia Ulema Council” which has official ties with Iran, Sipah-e-Muhammad, founded by Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (affiliates of Al-Qaeda).[7] Lashkar-e-Jhangvi "has claimed responsibility for most attacks" on Shia according to Human Rights Watch.[8] Sunni militant groups are also blamed for attacks on fellow Sunnis, Barelvis and Sufis.[9] These attacks sometimes result in tit-for-tat reprisal attacks by the victims.[9][10]

Declared Shia Terrorist organizations in Pakistan: 1. “Tehrik-e-Jafaria Pakistan (TJP), also known as the Tehrik-e-Islami these days, was formed in 1979 under the name Tehrik-e-Nafaz-e-Fiqah-e-Jafaria [TNFJ], following the revolution in Iran, to spread a specific section and sectarianism in Pakistan. Due to allegations and links with terrorism, it was banned twice by President Pervez Musharraf's government and third time on November 5, 2011. In January 2002 President Musharraf arrested leaders of banned terrorist groups, and the continued operation of these groups under new names did not place effective curbs on the operation of these groups and connected individuals. By early 2003 virtually all the groups supposedly banned by Pakistan as terrorist organizations were allowed to function with impunity under new names. It is related to organization “Shia Ulema Council” which has official ties with Iran (see # 3). 2. Sipah-e-Muhammad, founded by Maulana Mureed Abbas Yazdani, is believed to have formed as a splinter of the larger and more mainstream, Shiite political organization, Tehreek-e-Jaferia Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan designated the Sipah-e-Muhammad a terrorist organization, and it is classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization under U.S. law. As a result, its finances are blocked worldwide by the U.S government. In December 1990, the organisation's connection with the Shia regime in Iran led to the assassination of Iran's Counsel General, Sadeq Ganji, in Lahore by suspected Sunni terrorists. Currently Sipah-e-Muhammad is being led by Ghulam Raza Naqvi, who is in prison facing charges of his alleged involvement in 30 murder cases and dacoity. The group has an estimated cadre of 30,000.

Shia organizations with no terrorism label but official ties with Iran

3. Shia Ulema Council (S.U.C) is a Shiite Muslim religio-political organization in Pakistan and a board of Shiite Muslim clergy affiliated with the Islamic council of Iran. Its goal was to introduce Twelver Shiite Islam as personal law for the Shiite Muslims of Pakistan. It is also known as Islami Tehreek or Tehrik-e-Jafaria in Pakistan.


Religions and sects

Shia and Sunni

Estimates of the size of the two largest religious groups in Pakistan vary. According to Library of Congress, Pew Research Center, Oxford University, the CIA Factbook and other experts, adherents of Shi'a Islam in Pakistan make up 15–25% of the population of Pakistan[1][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] while the remaining 70–85%[1][11][12] are Sunni.

This makes Pakistan the country with the second largest Shia community after Iran by number of adherents. (Globally, Shia Islam constitutes 10–20%[11][12][16][18][19] of the total Muslims, while the remaining 80%–90% practice Sunni Islam.[20])

Other groups

An estimated 2.3% of the population are Ahmadis,[21] who are officially designated non-Muslims by a 1974 constitutional amendment, although they consider themselves Muslims.[22] Non-Muslim religions include Hinduism and Christianity, each with 2,800,000 (1.6%) adherents as of 2005.[23] The Bahá'í Faith claims 30,000, followed by Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis, each claiming 20,000 adherents,[15] and a very small community of Jains.

History

Zia-ul-Haq

As early as the mid-1950s, there were Sunnis-Ahmadis clashes until Ahmadis were finally declared non-Muslims in 1974 by the National Assembly of Pakistan through an amendment in the constitution. During the administration of President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, sectarianism in Pakistan, especially in Karachi and South Punjab, became violent as the process of his Islamization began in the Pakistani judicial system. Zia-ul-Haq was influenced by the Salafi beliefs early on and methodically helped propagate and promote Salafi doctrines. The Pakistani Sunni community is divided into many school of thoughts, including: Barelvis, Deobandis, Sufis and Salafis.

Social laws, which had been tolerant of the open-sale of alcohol and the intermingling of the sexes, were severely curtailed by President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq's laws, although hardliners in both the Shia and Sunni camps were largely in favour of his restrictions. The process eventually came upon issues in which Sunni and Shia viewpoints differed. In such instances, Zia favoured the Sunni interpretation of Islam over the Shia one, causing a rift between the two communities.

Possible outside funding

Some allege that Persian Gulf Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia and the GCC states, are exacerbating tensions by funding radical extremist Sunnis. Wikileaks has reported that US$100 million are gifted to extremist Wahabi preachers in Southern Punjab from outside countries such as Saudi Arabia. Southern Punjab contains active extremist Sunni groups such as LEJ and their benefactors, such as Tehrike Taliban and Al-Qaeda.[24]

Sectarian violence in Pakistan is a recent phenomenon (starting in the late 1970s and significantly growing in the mid 1980s) and that for most of the country's history, people of different sects have co-existed peacefully. The development of sectarianism is widely attributed to be a result of Arab states and other outside powers inside Pakistan having provided millions of dollars of funding to fundamentalist networks.[25]

A fact recognized by all in Pakistan is that the people of the country are not sectarian-minded. Before jihad took hold of Pakistan and extremist clerics became threatening, there was considerable harmony between the sects. Muharram was not the season of sectarian violence and mayhem. Today, the world understands that the intensification of the sectarian feeling among the clerics is actually a result of a war relocated from Pakistan’s neighbourhood in the Gulf.

— The Express Tribune, 2012[26]

2000–2010

Since the year 2000, over 2000 Shia Hazara community members including many women and children have been killed or wounded in attacks perpetrated by Al-Qaeda and Taliban in the southwestern town of Quetta. Many hundreds of Shia Muslims have been killed in northern areas of Pakistan, such as Gilgit, Baltistan, Parachinar and Chelas. The violence worsened immediately after 11 September 2001 and the expulsion of the Taliban from Afghanistan.[27] In 2002, 12 Shia Hazara police cadets were gunned down in Quetta. In 2003, the main Shia Friday Mosque was attacked in Quetta, killing 53 worshippers. On 2 March 2004, at least 42 persons were killed and more than 100 wounded when a procession of Shia Muslims was attacked by rival Sunni extremists at Liaquat Bazaar in Quetta.[28] Separately, on 7 October 2004. In 2006, sectarian violence led to 300 deaths.[29]

On 28 December 2009, as many as 40 Shias were killed in an apparent suicide bombing in Karachi. The bomber attacked a Shia procession that was held to mark Ashura.[30] Since June 2010 in Karachi, Sipah-e-Sahaba is involved in the target killing of seven innocent bystanders and intellectuals; all were from the Twelver Shia Muslim community. Sectarian riots and the targeted killing of doctors in the provincial capital have drawn attention to the present democratic system. Karachi had witnessed similar sectarian tension in the early 1980s when then-President Zia-ul-Haq was in power. The military regime of those years had supported certain groups to strengthen its rule and Karachi underwent the worst situation after the sectarian riots. The Shia-Sunni clashes had started from the same section of the city, Godra Colony in New Karachi, after a small incident, and subsequently the clashes gripped the entire city.

In early September 2010, three separate attacks were reported in different parts of Pakistan. The first one took place on 1 September in Lahore where at least 35 Shia were killed and 160 people were injured during a procession. The second attack was reported to have taken place in Mardan, targeted Ahmadiyyas, and at least one person was killed. The third one occurred on 3 September in the city of Quetta, and killed 55 people during another procession.[31]

On 16 December, a mortar attack killed nine people, including women and children, in Hangu, a town that has been a flash point for sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Province, near the tribal area. On the same day in another attack, one child was killed and 28 people were wounded in Peshawar, the capital of KP province, as Shia Muslims marked Ashura.[32]

2012–2013

In the February 2012 Kohistan Shia Massacre, 18 Shia Muslim residents of Gilgit-Baltistan travelling by bus from Rawalpindi, Punjab to Gilgit, Gilgit Baltistan in Pakistan died. The buses were stopped in Kohistan and the victims killed by individuals dressed in military uniforms based on their religious affiliation. The dead included three children, while 27 other passengers on the bus were spared.

On 16 August 2012, four buses destined for Gilgit and the Eid-ul-Fitr festivals were stopped. Twenty-five Shia passengers were identified by their identity cards, separated from other passengers, and shot dead. Al-Qaeda-affiliated Sunni Muslim militants claimed responsibility for the attack. Three Shia Hazara community members were shot dead in the town of Quetta, which is home to a Sunni Taliban leadership group known as Quetta Shura.

On 10 January 2013, several bombings took place in the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta and in the northern Swat Valley, killing a total of 130 people and injuring at least 270.

A Bomb blast on Thursday 10 January 2013 occurred at a snooker club which was close to a police station and a Shia Mosque. "First suicidal attack was conducted and then a car bomb exploded on Alamdar Road,” Said Mir Zubair Mehmood, the Capital City Police Officer. The bomb exploded at 8:50 p.m. local time. As police, rescuers and media personal rushed to the blast site, another bomb fixed to a vehicle parked near the site exploded, causing an even greater number of casualties. Over 100 were killed and 121 wounded in the second twin bomb attack. Lashkae-e-jhangvi (LEJ), an extremist terrorist group banned by the government, has claimed responsibility for all the blasts. LEJ has organized under the name Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamat and the leader of the organization is Ahmad Ludhanvi, an extremist Salafi priest.

The family members of the people killed in the bomb blast refused to bury the dead unless the perpetrators were prosecuted, the military provided security for and took over the city of Quetta, and attackers stop killing Shia Muslims. Protesters staged a sit-in beginning the in solidarity with them in other cities, including Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad, on both Friday and Saturday. Protests have also occurred outside the Pakistani embassy in London and the Birmingham Consulate, in addition to countries with Shia populations such as Canada and Australia. Islamic custom dictates the dead should be buried as soon possible; to postpone the burial is symbolic of the pain and suffering the families of the killed experience.

Further information: January 2013 Pakistan bombings

Quetta Market bombing

On Saturday 16 February 2013, at least 90 people were reported dead and 180 wounded after a bomb exploded in a grocery market in Quetta. The death toll subsequently rose to 113.[33] The terrorist group Lashkae-e-jhangvi has claimed responsibility for the attack. Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said, "the government was determined to fight such dastardly acts and bring the culprits to justice." The remote-controlled bomb was hidden in a water tanker, and ripped through the town's main bazaar, a language school, and a computer center. At the time of the blast on Saturday afternoon, dozens of people, mainly women, were shopping for the evening meal and children were leaving classes. Quetta police chief Mir Zubia Mehmood said the explosive weighed 1000 kg, which was larger than the explosives used in the January attack.[34][35][36][37]

Targeted killings

On 18 February 2013, an unidentified gunmen shot dead Dr. Syed Ali Haider and his 11-year-old son while they were driving in their car in the Gulberg area of Lahore. Haider was shot six times in the head and died instantly while his son was shot once in the head and later died at a hospital. Haider was a leading vitreo-retinal surgeon, who also worked in collaboration with the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Hospital. According to his uncle, he had "no personal enmity" and his killing was sectarian-motivated as he belonged to the Shia community. These killings were widely condemned.[38][39]

Karachi bombing

On 3 March 2013, a powerful bomb blast in the city of Karachi in the area of Abbas Town killed 45 people and wounded 150 others. The Bomb exploded outside a Shia Mosque as people were leaving from prayers. The blast destroyed the building, set other buildings on fire, and caused a power outage in the city. Human rights group have accused the Pakistani government of turning a "blind eye" to the bombings.[40][41][42][43]

Parachinar twin market bombing

On Friday 26 July 2013, a twin set of bomb blasts occurred in Parachinar, the main town of Kurram tribal Agency. The bomb blast killed 60 people and injured at least 187.[44] The first bomb blast hit the Parachinar market as people were busy buying food in preparation for the opening of the fast. The second bomb exploded near a road side. A terrorist organisation called Ansarul mujahideenhas claimed responsibility.[45] Abu baser spokesmen told a news channel that the attacks were carried out to seek revenge for Sunni Muslims in Syria and Iraq. "We have planned more similar attacks against the Shia community in Pakistan." Syed Jamal Shan, who visited the twin bombing site, told the Express Tribune, "The blast took place when people were shopping for ifthar. Blood and pieces of human flesh were scattered all around." Shia clerics and leaders demanded military action against the perpetrators of the twin blasts similar to the one in the Swat valley. The elder of the six Sunni tribes living in lower Kurram Agency expressed their sorrow over the incident to show solidarity with the victims of the bombings. The Sunni elders expressed their pain they share over the tragedy.[citation needed]

Ashoura violence

During the Shia procession for Ashoura in November, violence took place in Rawalpindi leading to a curfew where when the Ashoura procession was passing in front of a Sunni mosque the Sunnis from in the mosque fired at it. The curfew was lifted, but violence continued and the curfew was reimposed. Nine people In which 8 shias and a passerby died and 50 others were injured, while a Sunni seminary students burned markets down. Violence also erupted in Multan and Chishtian, where soldiers were called out to maintain law and order. In Chishtian, a Shia mosque was partially damaged and several shops were destroyed when Sunnis torched them. At least six Imambargahs and shi'ite mosques were burnt by the armed group of Ahle-Sunnat wal Jamaat on the night of Ashura. Imambargah Hifazat Ali Shah, Bohar Bazar, Rawalpindi was burnt and Zuljinnah (Horse) was killed.[46][47]

Following that violence, in Kohat, at least three people were killed and the army was called in to establish control. In this incident, the Sunni armed group Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat held a rally on 18 November to protest the Rawalpindi; the deaths then happened after Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat's terrorists fired near a Shia mosque.[48]

2014

Following that violence, in Kohat, at least three people were killed and the army was called in to establish control. In this incident, the Sunni armed group Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat held a rally on 18 November to protest the Rawalpindi; the deaths then happened after unidentified assailants fired near a Shia mosque.[48]

Pak-Iran border Pilgrims killings

At least 23 people die and seven are wounded in gun and suicide attack in a restaurant near the Pakistan-Iran border. Most or all of these people are believed to be Shia Pilgrims coming from Iran. They say the gunmen targeted hotels in the town of Taftan, Balochistan province, where the pilgrims were staying after returning from Iran. Recent years have witnessed a series of bloody attacks by Sunni militants on Pakistan's Shia community.[49] [50]

Sufism

Further information: Sufism § Pakistan, and Sufism in Pakistan

In two years, 2010 and 2011, 128 people were killed and 443 were injured in 22 attacks on Shrines and tombs of saints and religious people in Pakistan, most of them Sufi in orientation.[51]

Sufism, a mystical Islamic tradition, has a long history and a large popular following in Pakistan. Popular Sufi culture is centred on Thursday night gatherings at shrines and annual festivals which feature Sufi music and dance. Contemporary Islamic fundamentalists criticise its popular character, which in their view, does not accurately reflect the teachings and practice of the Prophet and his companions.[6][52]

Ahmadiyya

Main article: Persecution of Ahmadis

Ahmadis are declared as Non-Muslims and further deprived of religious rights in the Second Amendment to the Constitution of Pakistan and Ordinance XX. Many thousands of Ahmadis were killed in 1953 Lahore riots, 1974 Anti-Ahmadiyya riots and the May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore. The 1974 riots were the largest killings of Ahmadis. In 2014, a prominent Canadian national surgeon, Dr. Mehdi Ali Qamar was killed in front of his family while on a humanitarian visit to Pakistan, one of 137 other Ahmadis killed in Pakistan from 2010-2014.[53]

Christians

Main article: Christians in Pakistan § Islamist violence against Christians

A Christian church was bombed in Peshawar in October 2013 with many casualties. A Christian church in Islamabad was attacked after 11 September 2001, and some Americans were among the dead. In 2012, a Christian town near Lahore called Joseph Town was attacked by a Sunni mob and the police had warned the residents that they would be attacked in the next 24 hours, but the police did not take any preventive action.[citation needed]

Hindus

Main article: Antihinduism § Pakistan

According to Indian newspapers, as of late 2012, Hindus have fled to India due to forced conversions, extortion and kidnapping of Hindu girls and on 10 August 2012, around 250 Hindu refugees from Pakistan crossed over to India.[54][55][56][57][58]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Country Profile: Pakistan 75.6 %" (PDF). Library of Congress Country Studies on Pakistan. Library of Congress. February 2005. Retrieved 1 September 2010. Religion: The overwhelming majority of the population (96.3 percent) is Muslim, of whom approximately percent are Sunni and 25 percent Shia.
  2. ^ "Shiite-Sunni conflict rises in Pakistan," by David Montero, February 02, 2007
  3. ^ "Timeline: Persecution of religious minorities". DAWN.COM |. 4 November 2012.
  4. ^ "World Report 2012: Pakistan". Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Sunni Ittehad Council: Sunni Barelvi activism against Deobandi-Wahhabi terrorism in Pakistan – by Aarish U. Khan". Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  6. ^ a b Produced by Charlotte Buchen. "Sufism Under Attack in Pakistan" (video). The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  7. ^ "Pakistan's militant Islamic groups". 13 January 2002. Sipah-e-Sahaba or the Army of Prophet Mohammad's companions is a radical group from the majority Sunni sect of Islam
  8. ^ "Pakistan: Rampant Killings of Shia by Extremists". Human Rights Watch. 30 June 2014. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  9. ^ a b "Pakistan's militant Islamic groups". BBC News. 13 January 2002.
  10. ^ "ATTACKS ON SHIAS IN PAKISTAN, A MESSAGE TO IRAN TOO: INTERNATIONAL TERRORISM MONITOR—PAPER NO. 674". South Asian Analysis. 24 November 2014.
  11. ^ a b c "Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population". Pew Research Center. 7 October 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  12. ^ a b c Tracy Miller, ed. (2009). Mapping the Global Muslim Population: A Report on the Size and Distribution of the World's Muslim Population (PDF). Pew Research Center. Retrieved 25 August 2010.
  13. ^ "Pakistan, Islam in". Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 29 August 2010. Approximately 97 percent of Pakistanis are Muslim. The majority are Sunnis following the Hanafi school of Islamic law. Between 10 and 15 percent are Shiis, mostly Twelvers.
  14. ^ "Religions: Muslim 95% (Sunni 70%, Shia 25%), other (includes Christian and Hindu) 5%". Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook on Pakistan. 2010. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
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  17. ^ "The Shia Revival: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future". Vali Nasr, Joanne J. Myers: 160. 18 October 2006. Pakistan has the second largest population of Shia, about 30 million, after Iran..
  18. ^ "Shīʿite". Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Retrieved 25 August 2010. Shīʿites have come to account for roughly one-tenth of the Muslim population worldwide.
  19. ^ "Religions". CIA. The World Factbook. 2010. Retrieved 29 August 2010. Shia Islam represents 20% of Muslims worldwide...
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  30. ^ "Karachi in grip of grief and anger as blast toll rises to 43". S. Raza Hassan. Dawn News. 30 December 2009. Retrieved 24 August 2010.
  31. ^ Syed, Ali (3 September 2010). "Suicide attack in Quetta kills 55". Retrieved 12 December 2013.
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  33. ^ "Hazaras bury 113 victims". Retrieved 23 February 2013. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help)
  34. ^ "Pakistani mourners bury Quetta bombing victims amid tensions".
  35. ^ "Pakistan Shi'ites demand better protection from militants".
  36. ^ "Families of Quetta blast victims search for answers".
  37. ^ "LJ leader Malik Ishaq detained in Rahim Yar Khan".
  38. ^ "Target killing: Doctor, son shot dead in Lahore".
  39. ^ "CM Punjab takes notice of murder of Dr. Ali Haider and his son".
  40. ^ "Pakistan bomb: Karachi standstill after Shias attacked". Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  41. ^ "Deadly bombing hits Shia district in Karachi". Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  42. ^ "Bomb at Shi'ite mosque kills 45 in Pakistan". Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  43. ^ "Pakistan bomb explosion in Shia neighborhood kills 45". Retrieved 4 March 2013.
  44. ^ "Pakistan Attacks Kill 9 Day After Bombs Leave 60 Dead". 27 July 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  45. ^ "Parachinar blasts death toll reaches 60". 28 July 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  46. ^ "Curfew renewed after clashes in Pakistan". 17 November 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
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  50. ^ Al-Jazeera, News. "AlJAzeera News". http://www.aljazeera.com/. {{cite web}}: |first1= has generic name (help); External link in |website= (help)
  51. ^ "PAKISTAN SECURITY ANALYSIS ANNUAL REPORT 2011" (PDF). www.circle.org.pk. Retrieved 24 November 2014.
  52. ^ Huma Imtiaz; Charlotte Buchen (6 January 2011). "The Islam That Hard-Liners Hate" (blog). The New York Times. Retrieved 21 May 2012.
  53. ^ News, Cbc. "Photo Galleries Slain doctor Mehdi Ali Qamar was 'servant of humanity'". CBC NEws. {{cite news}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  54. ^ "Pak allows about 250 Hindus to cross into India after hiccups". 10 August 2012.
  55. ^ "Girls' kidnappings fuel Hindu exodus to India – Pak stops 130 people". 10 August 2012.
  56. ^ "Pakistani Hindus arrive with horror tales". 11 August 2012.
  57. ^ "Second group of Pak Hindu pilgrims arrives". 12 August 2012.
  58. ^ "Hindu leaders in Pak approach Indian, US missions for help". 12 August 2012.
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