Gunmen have killed at least 20 people and injured at least 40 members of a congregation at a cemetery in Pakistan.

The BBC's Zaffar Abbas reports. (Dur 1'10")

The gunmen, who police suspect belong to a militant Sunni group known as the Friends of the Guardians of the Prophet, drove into the graveyard in a jeep and opened fire with automatic weapons.

Eyewitnesses said several dozen people belonging to the minority Shi'ites were at the cemetery to mark the anniversary of the death of a community leader.

They said three gunmen opened fire with automatic weapons and continued shooting for several minutes.

Many Shi'ite mourners traditionally go to the graveyard, in the city of Lahore, on Sundays.

More than 140 people died last year in a wave of sectarian killings in Punjab province involving militant groups from both the Sunni and the minority Shi'ite Muslim communities.

Troops patrol streets in Karachi after two people were shot dead

Shi'ites comprise about 15% of Pakistan's mainly Sunni population of more than 135 million people.

Soldiers have also been deployed in central Karachi when violence broke out between ethnic political parties.

Two people were shot dead and five others injured.
 

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