Muslim Scholars Condemn Shias Killings In Pakistan

New Delhi, Feb 27, IRNA -- A group of Muslim scholars on Tuesday called upon international bodies -- United Nations, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International and governments across the world to put an end to killing of Shia Muslims in Pakistan. ˈIt is extremely shameful,ˈ Muslim scholar Maulana Sayed Ahmedalo Abidi, Imam-e-Juma Khoja Jama Masjid Dongri and Principal of Houza Ilmiya Najifi House, told reporters in Mumbai. ˈShias are being attacked, shot and bombed. This is extremely serious,ˈ he said, urging the Indian government to take up the issue in international forums. He also appealed to the government of Pakistan to ensure that Shias were protected from violence unleashed by militants. The Muslim scholars said the Army must be made directly responsible and accountable for the law and order and safety of all people, including Shia Muslims in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. ˈThe Human Rights Commission of Pakistan must look into the issue,ˈ said Maulana Zaheer Abbas Rizvi, General Secretary All India Shia Muslim Personal Law Board. Pakistan has been besieged by militant attacks in recent years, many of them carried out by Pakistani Taliban, who have been waging a bloody insurgency against the government. Radical Sunni militant groups have also increasingly targeted the countryˈs Shia Muslims because they do not view them as real Muslims, Rizvi said in a statement. Many of these sectarian attacks have occurred in southwest Balochistan province, which has the largest concentration of Shias in Pakistan, he said. The Islamic scholars also condemned the twin blasts at Hyderabad recently./end