'Taliban targetting Shias in Pakistan'

'Taliban targetting Shias in Pakistan' Tue, 03 Feb 2009 19:31:53 GMT

The Taliban and its allied groups have killed hundreds of Shia Muslims during some last months in the north-west Pakistan, local media reports say. The Taliban linked militants have been killing 25-30 members of Shia community in Parachinar, Hangu and much of the Kurram tribal agency during last six months on a daily basis, Pakistani media reports said on the weekend. Military forces based there usually do not intervene to end the sectarian wars, according to the reports. Human rights and religious groups in Kurram have warned of a humanitarian crisis in the Shia areas. The groups have been holding protests in major cities against the killings of Shia Muslims in Kurram Agency and Parachinar. The Taliban fighters usually target the community members in the region. Although Shias are the majority in Kurram, but they are surrounded by the Taliban-linked aggressive militants who have cut off road routes since some past months. The militants are also accused of kidnapping or killing those trying to get supplies to the Shia areas during the past months. Pakistan's main media outlets had earlier said that the democratic forces in the country should take immediate notice of the killings of innocent Shias in the region. Moderate Pakistani Sunni groups believe that leaving more than 500,000 Shias at the mercy of the Taliban is a conspiracy against the country. Taliban's influence is also rapidly increasing in the major cities and so-called settled areas of the country. JR/DT