“Kill, Kill, Shias,” say the text warnings to members of the SHIA
ISLAM community.
The smear campaign comes a day after nearly 40 Shia Muslims were
killed in three bomb attacks on religious gatherings in the southern port city
of Karachi and the garrison city of Rawalpindi on Wednesday evening.
Heavily armed militants have targeted several religious ceremonies
commemorating the martyrdom of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) in different
regions of Pakistan over the past week.
Human rights groups say hundreds of Shia Muslims have been killed
in the violence-hit country so far this year.
Several citizens have expressed their deep concerns over the
ongoing massacre and religious persecution of Shias across Pakistan.
“Genocide against Shias is already taking place in Pakistan so the
text messages don’t really matter that much,” daily Dawn newspaper quoted Jalal
Haider as saying.
Nearly 50,000 people plan to march through the streets of
Islamabad on Saturday in order to protest against the ongoing sectarian
violence and growing insecurity across the county.
Violence has surged against Shia Muslims in different parts of
Pakistan in recent months. Since the beginning of 2012, hundreds of Shias have
been killed in various parts of the militancy-wracked country.
Pakistan's pro-Taliban militants have launched a violent campaign
against Shia Muslims over the past years. According to local sources, militants
affiliated to Taliban and al-Qaeda terrorist groups have killed thousands of
Shia Muslims in the region since the start of the campaign.
The country’s Shia leaders have called on the government to form a
judicial commission to investigate the bloodshed.
The killing of Shias in Pakistan has sparked international
outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the
ongoing carnage. Still, those behind the violence are rarely caught or
punished.
Human Rights Watch issued a statement in September asking the
Pakistani government to “urgently act” to protect the Shia Muslims in Pakistan.
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