ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A roadside bomb in northwestern Pakistan killed at least seven people early Saturday, including four children, police officials said, as the government struggled to control sectarian violence in the country.
Militants targeted a procession of Shiite Muslims in Dera Ismail Khan, a town on the edge of the restive tribal region in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Province. At least 30 people were wounded when the bomb, which was remotely detonated, ripped through the procession as it passed, the police officials said.
The authorities in Pakistan have installed strict security measures in an effort to thwart attacks by extremist Sunni groups on Shiites, who are observing Ashura, an annual 10-day mourning period that ends Sunday. More than a dozen people had already been killed during processions before Saturday’s bombing.
Thousands of police officials have been deployed across Pakistan to protect Shiite processions as they march through the cities, clad in black mourning dresses, and whip themselves to mourn the killing of a grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein, in the battle of Karbala in 680.
Cellular networks had been suspended for several hours across 46 cities over the weekend after bomb attacks on Shiites were set off by cellphones, officials said. The interior minister, Rehman Malik, described the suspension as essential in foiling terrorist bombings. Intelligence reports, he said, have warned of terrorist attempts in several major cities, including Karachi and Quetta.
Second riders on motorbikes have also been banned in major cities.
The security challenge facing the government was evident when President Asif Ali Zardari met Friday with the army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani. Officials said both leaders had discussed the worsening security situation in the country.
Shiites and Sunni Muslims generally live in harmony in the country, but Sunni militants have repeatedly targeted Shiites in the last decade through suicide attacks and bombings. A banned Sunni militant group affiliated with Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, is one of the main instigators of violence against Shiites.
Mr. Zardari strongly condemned the Saturday bombing and reiterated the government’s resolve “to continue its struggle against the militants till its logical conclusion.”
“Such nefarious acts cannot deter the people and the government in their fight against the scourge of militancy,” he said in a statement.
Roadside Bomb Kills at Least 7 in Pakistan
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Roadside Bomb Kills at Least 7 in Pakistan
