Countrywide Shia Protesters Slam Quetta Bombings

Pakistani Shias have staged a protest rally in the countrywide protests to condemn Thursday’s deadly bombings that killed more than 120 people, including Shia Muslims.
The protesters took to the streets in Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore and other citis and towns after Friday prayer, chanting slogans against the United States, which they said supports terrorism in the country.
A similar rally was also held in the southwestern city of Quetta, the capital of Balochistan Province, where demonstrators demanded the deployment of army forces in the city to enhance security.
On Thursday, Pakistan was hit by several explosions that killed a total of 125 people in Quetta and the northwestern Swat valley district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The deadliest incident occurred when twin blasts targeted a crowded snooker club in a predominantly Shia area in Quetta.
The bomb explosions are the latest in a wave of attacks by militant groups which have been engaged in a violent campaign against Shias in Pakistan over the past few years.
During a news conference, Maulana Amin Shaheedi, the head of Pakistan’s national council of Shia organizations, criticized Pakistani Military Chief General Ashfaq Kayani for failing to provide security in the country.