91 dead in Pak sectarian violence

At least 46 people were killed today in clashes between Sunnis and Shias in a Pakistani tribal town bordering Afghanistan where the latest sectarian bloodletting has left over 91 dead and nearly 150 injured.

Clashes continued for the fourth day today with members of the two sects using mortars, rockets and heavy weapons to target each other's houses and mosques in Parachinar, Kurrum tribal agency's main town which is dominated by Shias who account for only 20 per cent of the population in Pakistan.

Officials and state-run media said at least 91 people were killed and 150 injured in the fighting.

The violence was on despite an indefinite curfew clamped in Parachinar since Friday and the deployment of army and paramilitary forces in the area, state-run television said.

Several homes and mosques were damaged in the fighting.

Military spokesman Major General Waheed Arshad told PTV: "75 to 80 people have been killed in the sectarian clashes in the last three days".

An army statement also confirmed the death of 80 people, including 11 soldiers.

"The security forces have been targeted by both sides" the statement said.

Army troops and paramilitary Frontier Corps personnel had been deployed to stop the clashes and improve the situation with the assistance of the local administration.

Parachinar, sometimes referred to as "little Iran" for its majority Shia population, had also witnessed sectarian violence in April, when clashes had left over 80 people dead.

The town has been tense since Thursday, when gunmen attacked a Sunni mosque and injured two persons.

This provoked retaliatory attacks by Sunnis on Shias. Most of the fighting has been between members of the Shia Turi tribe and the Sunni Mengal tribe.