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General Strike after Attack on Pakistani Shi'ites

   VOA News 04 September 2010
   People  mourn the death of as family member killed in Friday's suicide
   attack in Quetta, 04 Sep 2010

Photo: AP

   People  mourn the death of as family member killed in Friday's suicide
   attack in Quetta, 04 Sep 2010

   A  general  strike  is  in  effect  in Pakistan's southwestern city of
   Quetta,  following  Friday's  suicide  bombing  that targeted minority
   Shi'ites and killed at least 57 people.
   More  than 160 others were wounded by the explosion at a Shi'ite rally
   called to express solidarity with the Palestinians.
   The  Pakistani  Taliban  said it was responsible for the Quetta attack
   and  for Wednesday's triple bombing that killed 35 people at a Shi'ite
   religious procession in the eastern city of Lahore.
   A  Pakistani Taliban leader said Friday he was proud the United States
   had  added  his  group  to  the  international  terrorism blacklist on
   Wednesday.  Qari Hussain Mehsud also threatened the United States and
   Europe with more attacks.
   Pakistan's  Prime  Minister  Yousuf Raza Gilani said Friday the deadly
   attacks are proof that those behind the violence do not believe in any
   religion.
   United  Nations  Secretary  General  Ban  Ki-moon  also  condemned the
   attacks targeting Shi'ite Muslims as "unacceptable."
   Shi'ite  Muslims  make  up  about  20  percent  of  the  population in
   mostly-Sunni Muslim Pakistan.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP.

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