Shia Muslims across Jammu and Kashmir held demonstrations condemning killings
Four people have been arrested on suspicion of facilitating a suicide bombing that killed more than 30 people during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, the country’s interior minister said.
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said an Afghan national, believed to be the mastermind of the attack, was among those detained. One counter-terrorism officer was killed, and three others were injured during raids carried out to arrest the suspects.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the bombing at the Shia mosque in Islamabad’s Tarlai area, which was packed with worshippers at the time. More than 160 people were injured in the blast, the deadliest attack in the capital in over a decade.
The attack triggered protests at many places. On Saturday, protests were witnessed across parts of Jammu and Kashmir, with Shia Muslims leading demonstrations to condemn the killings.
Protests have continued since Friday evening in Srinagar, Baramulla, Budgam, Bandipora, Anantnag and Jammu, as reported by The Hindu.
In Baramulla’s Pattan and Bandipora’s Shadipora — areas with a sizeable Shia population — demonstrators raised anti-Pakistan slogans, including “down with Pakistan”.
“At a time when Muslims across the world are facing attacks, Shia Muslims are being targeted in Pakistan. This is deeply shameful and condemnable,” a protester in Pattan said.
Kashmir’s chief cleric Mirwaiz Umar Farooq condemned the suicide bombing, calling the attack at the imambargah in Islamabad “deeply painful and strongly condemnable”. He said bloodshed at a place of worship was profoundly distressing and a moment of deep anguish and reflection for the Muslim community.
Aga Syed Hassan al-Mousavi al-Safvi, president of the Anjuman-e-Sharie Shian Jammu and Kashmir, described the attack as a “barbaric assault on the core tenets of Islam and humanity” and demanded immediate and decisive action by the Pakistani state to protect its Shia citizens.
The All J&K Shia Association, headed by Shia cleric and Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Conference leader Imran Ansari, said it organised protests condemning Pakistan over the blast at Imambargah Khadijat-ul-Kubra in Tarlai and sought swift action against those responsible.
Masroor Ansari, a Shia cleric who heads Ittihadul Muslimeen, also strongly condemned the violence.
