Several thousand people in Pakistan have taken part in the funeral of sixteen worshippers belonging to the minority Shi'ite Muslim community who were shot dead yesterday inside a mosque.

The funerals, in a remote village in Punjab province, were followed by a demonstration in which the government was blamed for its failure to protect the mosque and its worshippers.

The authorities say they are convinced the killings were part of a continuing armed conflict between extremist groups belonging to the Shi'te and majority Sunni communities in Pakistan.