Pakistani Shias called on the military yesterday to take control of the city of Quetta after a bombing by Sunni militants killed 85 people, while they threatened to stage a long march to the capital if their demands were not met.
Pakistani leaders have done little to contain hardline Sunni Muslim groups, which have stepped up a campaign of bombings and assassinations of minority Shia in a bid to destabilise the nuclear-armed country and install a Sunni theocracy.
The unpopular government, which is gearing up for elections expected within months, faces growing anger for failing to deliver stability.
On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), seen as the most ruthless Sunni sectarian group, claimed responsibility for the Quetta attack, which deepened suspicions among Shias that Pakistan’s intelligence agencies were turning a blind eye to the bloodshed, or even supporting extremists.
The families of some of the victims have said they will not bury their dead until the army steps in to protect Shias, according to Hasnain Zaidi, a spokesman for an alliance of Shia groups called Majlis Wahdat al Muslimeen.
– (Reuters)