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| Sunday, 6 July 2003 |
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Pakistan mosque attackers 'ignorant and wild' - Musharraf ISLAMABAD, Saturday (Reuters) Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf on Saturday denounced the suicide bombing of a mosque which killed at least 44 worshippers and branded the attackers "ignorant and wild". He was speaking on return from a trip to the United States and Europe during which he tried to calm investors' fears after a spate of attacks on Western and Christian targets in Pakistan last year blamed on Islamic militants. "Whether they are religious extremists or sectarian extremists..they are ignorant and wild," Musharraf, a key ally in the U.S.-led war on terror, told reporters. He said those behind the attack should be "dealt with severely" and that the government would look into the possibility of involvement of "foreign hand". He did not elaborate. At least 44 people were killed and 65 wounded in Friday's attack on the packed Shi'ite mosque in the southwestern city of Quetta, near the Afghan border. No group has claimed responsibility, but officials said the attack appeared to be linked to rivalry between extremists from minority Shi'ites and majority Sunni Muslims which has often exploded into violence in the past. The attack sparked violent protests in Quetta where crowds of Shi'ite Hazaras, some firing shots into the air, took to the streets. Vehicles, shops and a wing of a hospital were set ablaze prompting the government to impose a curfew. Hundreds of people have been killed in sectarian violence involving Sunni and Shi'ite militants in recent years. Musharraf has banned several Islamic militants groups and arrested hundreds of people since announcing support for the U.S.-led war on terror in 2001 but has failed to prevent sectarian attacks. |
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