1. Sectarian Violence
On their way to prayers, six Sunnis were shot dead and seven others by as-yet unidentified
assailants. B. Raman (Asia Times, Hong Kong) considers the latest attack as a Shia
backlash -- a "warning shot" to be watched closely. Other reports allege the hand of the
banned Sipah-i-Sahaba (SSP) as retaliating for an assassination in June. Dawn (Pakistan)
reports that investigators hold responsible "313", an alliance of three banned militant
organizations (Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Alami, and Harkat Jihad-ul-
Islami). The US State Department (re)designated 25 groups as foreign terrorist
organizations, including: Harkat ul-Mujahideen, Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba,
and Lashkar-i-Jhangvi.
"Six Suparco employees shot dead in city"
"Shi'ite warning shot in Pakistan"
"'313' responsible for killings: officials"
"Redesignation of Foreign Terrorist Organizations"
Maulana Azam Tariq, chief of the Millat-i-Islamia Pakistan (MIP) and member of the
National Assembly, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen, though police suspect his
death was in retaliation for the shooting of 6 Shia worshippers just a few days before.
Azam Tariq had been associated with the banned Sipah-i-Sahaba (SSP), though he had
denied any connection. Many believe that Tariq reformed the SSP under the guise of the
MIP to circumvent the ban and that he continued to direct SSP operations from his
protected position in the government. Demonstrations against Tariq's killing took to the
streets as police tried to maintain order and stability.
"Azam Tariq gunned down in Islamabad"
"Obituary: Azam Tariq - a Sunni supremacist"
"Govt must share blame for Azam Tariq's death: MIP"
"Opposition demands Faisal's resignation"
"Demonstrations against Azam's killing"
"KARACHI: Tension grips city localities: Azam Tariq's killing"
An editorial in the Daily Times (Pakistan) does not differentiate between "jihadi" and
"sectarian" groups, since "putting...tags on one or the other is a futile, in fact downright
dangerous, exercise." Another editorial in Dawn (Pakistan) comments on why Pakistan
should focus on the internal threat of terrorism. The Daily Times quotes President
Musharraf as saying that sectarian violence could hamper Pakistan's stability and that
religious leaders "must teach students about peace and harmony." Ansar Abbasi (Jang,
Pakistan) criticizes the intelligence agencies for their failure to track down domestic
terrorist networks.
"No half-measures on sectarianism"
"The enemy within"
"Sectarian violence can hamper Pakistan's stability: president"
"What are the agencies doing?"