Sectarian violence flares in Pakistan

The bomb exploded during evening services at the Ali Raza mosque Monday killing 16 and injuring scores in what appears to be revenge for the killing of prominent Sunni cleric Nizamuddin Shamzai. "We have many reasons to believe that today's bombing was a response to yesterday's murder of Mufti Shamzai," Manzur Mughal, senior superintendent of police for investigations in Karachi said Monday night.

Shamzai was gunned down in Karachi on Sunday morning, setting off angry demonstrations by thousands of his supporters. Shamzai was a hardline Al Qaeda and Taliban supporter who had met with Osama bin Laden, reports The Washington Post.

The attack on the mosque – the fourth terrorist incident in Karachi in a month – triggered " a wave of violent protest," reports The New York Times. "The sectarian violence in Karachi has followed a distinct pattern, with Sunni leaders singled out individually for attack while Shiite mosques have been hit by bombings," according to the Times.

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The Daily Times of Pakistan reports that Deputy Inspector General Fayyaz Leghari said the similarity of Monday's mosque attack and a May 7 suicide bombing at another Shiite mosque gave rise to the suspicion that "it might be a suicide attack."

The BBC reports that Karachi has a " long history of religious and ethnic violence, but the month of May was the worst in recent years." Another BBC report traces the roots of the growing violence in Karachi.

The city's population is highly diverse - but it is hardly a melting pot. Individuals survive by being a part of a group or mafia that can protect their interests.

According to various reports, however, factors other than Shiite-Sunni animosity are involved in the recent violence. As The Washington Post reports, "Much of the violence in Karachi has been blamed on Islamic militants who oppose support by the president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf, for the US antiterrorism campaign in Afghanistan." CNN quotes Yousaf Hussain, a Shiite leader, as saying: "Everybody who is a Muslim should understand that some elements want (to) create unrest. They are the enemy of Pakistan and Islam, and I ask you to understand this conspiracy and show patience."

"While the latest bombing smacked of domestic sectarianism, ingrained hatred for the US surfaced among Shiites, many of whom chanted: 'Down with America'," reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

President Musharraf said he would take tough action to restore order in Karachi, reports The Dawn, a Pakistani daily. In an opinion piece published in the PakTribune, Col. Riaz Jafri (Ret.) seems a bit skeptical of Musharraf's ability to do so.

What can [Musharraf] do, except change a few functionaries here and there or at the most impose Governor's Rule in Sindh? Will that solve the problem? No. He cannot shut down the Madrassas, breeding ground of the hate mongering terrorists or the hidden foreign hand behind such explosions. The killing ground is immensely vast and the initiative with the terrorist to strike when and where he likes. He can always choose his next target, time, and place.

Also...
• Army investigates wider Iraq offenses ( The Washington Post)
• Australian jailed for embassy plot ( BBC)
• US shifts focus in Iraq to aiding new government ( The New York Times)
• Muttahida chief sees plot to topple government ( The Dawn, Pakistan)

• Feedback appreciated. E-mail Matthew Clark.