Sectarian Violence in NWFP - 2008

Date

Incident

February 26

In a suspected sectarian incident, a Shia leader was shot dead in Peshawar, the NWFP capital. Police officials said Haji Ghulab Hussain was going to his shop at around 9:15am (PST) when unidentified assailants opened fire and injured him seriously in the jurisdiction of Khan Raziq Shaheed Police station. He later succumbed to injuries at the Lady Reading Hospital. He was a resident of Parachinar in the FATA and was dwelling in Mohallah Marviha in the old city area of Peshawar.

Unidentified assailants shot dead three Shia community members in the Dera Ismail Khan area in an incident of suspected sectarian violence.

Six persons were killed and five others sustained injuries in incidents of sectarian violence at Dera Ismail Khan. Witnesses said four people, including three close relatives, were killed when they were attacked while going to a court. The four slain people were from the Shia community. "It seems to be a sectarian attack, but we are still investigating," Dera Ismail Khan police chief Salahuddin Khan said. The motorbike borne assailants also fired on a police team going to a checkpoint, killing constable Qismatullah. Further, some people opened fire on a member of the banned Sunni group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP), Abdur Rasheed, on the University Road, killing him on the spot.

Unidentified militants killed the Dera Ismail Khan District Account Officer Syed Arif Hussain Shah. Two motorcycle borne gunmen opened fire at Shah, who hailed from the Shia community, near the Pir Zakori graveyard on Zhob Road, when he was en route to office. The Police termed the incident as a possible act of sectarian violence. Angry people blocked the road in front of the District Hospital in protest and reportedly shouted slogans against the banned Sunni militant outfit Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan (SSP) and the local administration. Soon after the incident, unidentified persons reportedly opened fire and wounded two activists of the Ansarullah, a branch of the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM), at Din Pur Chowk.

Unidentified gunmen shot dead a Shia leader, sparking a protest in Dera Ismail Khan. 40-year old Syed Al-Hasan Shah was killed at his medical store in the main Saddar Bazaar, Police officer Asmatullah Khattak told AFP. "It appears to be a sectarian killing. Police are investigating," he said. The killing triggered a protest by Shah's relatives and members of the Shia community, witnesses said.

In a sectarian incident, unidentified assailants shot dead the central deputy secretary-general of the Tehrik-e-Nifaz-e-Fiqah Jafria, Sardar Mumtaz Hussain Qazalbash, in the Hayatabad locality of Peshawar. The senior Shia leader was killed outside his residence in Phase-III of the Hayatabad Township. Family sources said Sardar Mumtaz had been receiving death threats on account of his political and religious activities.

Eight persons, including six Shias and two Sunnis, were killed and several injured in separate acts aimed at fanning sectarian violence in the Hangu and Kohat districts.

Four people were killed and nine others wounded in Hangu when unidentified gunmen opened indiscriminate fire in Raysan Bazaar, Police said. "The attacks are designed to spur sectarian violence in the region," Hangu Mayor Khan Afzal told AFP.

Four persons, including a Security Force official, were killed and another injured in separate incidents of suspected sectarian violence in the Hangu District. The District administration imposed Section 144 restrictions to prevent public gatherings following the incidents. It also ordered closure of all educational institutions for two days, and also closed the main Kohat-Hangu Road for traffic fearing further sectarian clashes. Earlier, the Taliban killed abducted militia chief Hilal Ali and dumped his body in Shaho area. Soon after the killing, unidentified men opened fire on a sixth grade student of Government High School Shaho, Mohammad Khan, killing him on the spot. In another incident, armed men opened indiscriminate fire on people fleeing from the area, killing two persons, including police constable Fida Hussain.