The Pakistani city of Lahore is reported to be tense, following violent demonstrations on Monday over the killing of more than twenty Shi'ite Muslims.

Hundreds of people were arrested during the demonstrations, which preceded the funerals of the victims.

A BBC correspondent in Lahore says those responsible for the violence are splinter groups which used to belong to the main religious parties. He says they now operate independently and that it is difficult to tell whether they're acting from religious, political or ideological motives.

The unrest came as mourners gathered in the city on Monday for the funerals of those who were gunned down while kneeling in prayer at a graveyard in Lahore.

Despite appeals for peace by Shia leaders, protesters armed with automatic weapons attacked buildings and passing vehicles.

Only a small group could attend the main funeral

Eyewitnesses said two government buildings and two cinemas were set on fire, and 40 official vehicles, as well as scores of private cars, were burnt during the day-long disturbances.

Police, who were pelted with stones, fired shots and used tear gas.

Some eyewitnesses said several people had been critically injured in the clashes.

Markets and shops in the central commercial district remained closed.

Only a small group of mourners were able to attend the main funeral ceremony, before the bodies were taken away for burial.

More violence threatened

The Warriors of Jhangvi, a secretive group named after a Sunni Muslim militant killed several years ago, claimed responsibility for the murders on Sunday.

Victims of Sunday's attack on Shia Muslims

It warned of further attacks on Pakistan's minority Shia Muslim community. "We will not spare Shias in Pakistan," said the message delivered to the media.

Religiously-motivated conflict

The massacre is one of the worst sectarian attacks in Punjab province where more than 140 people died last year in a wave of killings involving militant groups from both the Sunni and the minority Shia communities.

Shias comprise about 15% of Pakistan's population of more than 135 million people,
 

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