Publish date27 Jul 2015 - 11:38
Story Code : 199627

Shia campaigner gunned down in Pakistani capital

Gunmen have shot dead a prominent Shia campaigner in Islamabad, the capital city of Pakistan, security sources say.
Shia campaigner gunned down in Pakistani capital

Pakistani police sources said that the attackers attacked Iqbal Baig in his home and sprayed him with bullets early Sunday.

Local residents and witnesses said that the assailants fled after the attack.

Pakistani security forces say they have launched a massive manhunt across the region to arrest the attackers.

Baig, an anti-drug campaigner and human rights activist, reportedly worked for an international drug enforcement agency in Islamabad. He was also said to be an employee of the US embassy.

Local media reports said that Baig belonged to the Shia Ismaili community.

Also on Saturday, heavily-armed assailants gunned down Syed Rais Jafferi, 57, a Shia activist in the southern port city of Karachi.

On May 13, gunmen massacred nearly 50 Ismaili Shia Muslims in Karachi.

Shia religious gatherings have been attacked in different parts of Pakistan in recent years.

About 60 people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack on a Shia mosque and religious center in the southern province of Sindh in late January. The attack occurred when people were performing Friday Prayers in the town of Shikarpur, around 470 kilometers (300 miles) north Karachi.

Two militant attacks against Shia Hazara community in the southwestern Pakistani city of  Quetta killed more than 200 people in early 2013.

Pakistani Shia Muslims have demanded that the government take decisive action against the perpetrators, saying that Islamabad cannot provide security for the community. The attacks have also been condemned by the Sunnis.

Human rights groups and international organizations have also expressed serious concern over the ongoing deadly violence against Shia Muslims across Pakistan.
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