5 killed, scores wounded in attack on Shiite Muslims in Pakistan

dpa Islamabad At least five people were killed and more than two dozen were wounded when a grenade was hurled at a religious procession of Shiite Muslims ...

dpa IslamabadAt least five people were killed and more than two dozen were wounded when a grenade was hurled at a religious procession of Shiite Muslims in Pakistan on Thursday, activists and police said.The attack occurred in the south-eastern town of Bahawalnagar as members of the minority Shiite Muslim community took part in the annual ritual of mourning the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.At least 30 injured people were taken to the hospital in the city, with some in critical condition, Shiite activist Syed Sufian said.Videos shared on social media showed people lying on the ground in pools of blood, and armoured police vehicles and ambulances rushing to the site of the attack. A police official in the region confirmed the attack but did not provide any further details.The attack occurred as Pakistan, a Sunni majority Islamic republic with a history of deadly sectarian clashes, deployed thousands of police and troops nationwide to ensure the safety of the Shiite processions.Fears are growing in Pakistan that violence by Islamist militants may increase following the Taliban’s takeover of neighbouring Afghanistan.Pakistan’s Taliban, seen as ideologically similar to the Afghan Taliban but with a different organisational setup, has killed 70,000 people in Pakistan in years of violence.They were pushed back in a series of military offensives in 2014.