Pakistan Shia groups protest arrests of leaders

Islamabad, Nov 7, IRNA – Members of different Shia groups carried out protests on Sunday in Rawalpindi and Karachi against the recent arrests some Shia prominent leaders in the country. Pakistan Shia groups protest arrests of leaders Allama Mirza Yousaf Hussain, chief of All-Pakistan Shia Action Committee (APSAC), and former Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator Faisal Raza Abidi are among those Shia leaders detained in Karachi. Hundreds of members of different Shia groups attended the rallies and called for immediate release of the detained leaders. Protesters were carrying signs against the arrests and the target killings of Shia religious leaders. They chanted slogans, calling the government for arresting the leaders of banned groups in the country as real elements of terrorism and unrest in Pakistan. Speakers at the protest warned that if the arrested leaders were not released, they would continue protesting. Crackdown on Shia Muslims of Pakistan has evoked countrywide reaction as Shia people staged rallies and demonstrations in different cities of Pakistan to protest arrests of some Shia leaders and scholars. 1378/IRNA/