Europe South Asia Asia Pacific Americas Middle East Africa BBC Homepage World Service Education
BBC Homepagelow graphics version | feedback | help
BBC News Online
 You are in: World: South Asia
Front Page 
World 
Africa 
Americas 
Asia-Pacific 
Europe 
Middle East 
South Asia 
-----------
From Our Own Correspondent 
-----------
Letter From America 
UK 
UK Politics 
Business 
Sci/Tech 
Health 
Education 
Sport 
Entertainment 
Talking Point 
In Depth 
AudioVideo 
Monday, 27 December, 1999, 15:17 GMT
Eleven killed in Pakistan shooting

Police have been deployed after the attack Police have been deployed after the attack


By Zaffar Abbas in Islamabad

At least 11 people have been killed and several injured in a village near the city of Haripur in northwest Pakistan, after unidentified people indiscrimnately opened fire on a funeral procession.

Senior police officials in the district said they were investigating if the incident was linked to sectarian rivalry between two different groups of militant Muslims.

All hell broke loose in the otherwise peaceful district in north-western Pakistan, when the funeral procession was attacked by at least four persons using automatic guns.

Police officials said Muslim funeral services were under way in a local graveyard near the city of Haripur when it came under fire from two sides.

Several people were killed on the spot and many more were injured.

A number of injured later died of their wounds at a local hospital. Doctors said the condition of at least three of the injured was critical.

Police officials in Haripur said the firing incident was apparently linked to a long-standing dispute over a piece of graveyard land between two religious groups belonging to the majority Sunni and minority Shia communities.

All the victims of the incident were Sunni Muslims.

There have been several incidents of sectarian killings in different parts of the country in the past couple of years, but Haripur district has generally remained peaceful.

A large contingent of police have been deployed in the area to prevent any reprisal killings after the shooting, police said.

Search BBC News Online

Advanced search options
Launch console
BBC RADIO NEWS
BBC ONE TV NEWS
WORLD NEWS SUMMARY
PROGRAMMES GUIDE
South Asia Contents

Country profiles

See also:
17 Dec 99 |  South Asia
Bomb blast in Pakistani Kashmir
02 Oct 99 |  South Asia
Pakistan religious violence grows
02 Oct 99 |  South Asia
Analysis: Sectarian violence co-ordinated
01 Oct 99 |  South Asia
Massacre at Karachi mosque
30 Sep 99 |  South Asia
Another Shia leader killed in Pakistan
06 Sep 99 |  South Asia
Bombs explode near Karachi school

Internet links:

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites
Links to other South Asia stories are at the foot of the page.


E-mail this story to a friend

Links to more South Asia stories