Pakistani President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar and Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz Sharif have condemned the killing of 22 Shiite Muslims at the Momenpura cemetery in Lahore on Sunday, Radio Pakistan reported.

Tarar and Sharif issued a statement saying that those responsible would be arrested and given "exemplary punishment." "The president appealed for restraint and collective efforts to overcome terrorism, which is a conspiracy against Pakistan and Islam," the radio said.

The chief minister of Punjab province, Mohammad Shahbaz Sharif, "reiterated the government's resolve to curb sectarianism and terrorism" and said that the security forces had been put on full alert to avoid further incidents.

Forty people were also injured in the incident, some of them seriously.

The radio also reported that "an unruly mob" staged a demonstration in Lahore on Sunday, damaging private vehicles and two banks.

Police used baton charges and tear gas to disperse the mob, it added.

Funeral prayers are to be held on Monday, the radio added.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

Back to top | BBC News Home | BBC Homepage	©