Alwaght-Thousands of Pakistanis have staged massive rallies nationwide to protest against a recent deadly attack on Shia Muslims in the northwestern city of Peshawar, as press TV reports.
Large crowds of protesters, including members of civil society and peace activists, poured onto the streets of the city of Peshawar to voice their outrage against the massacre, as Press TV reports.
In response to the attack, similar rallies were held in other Pakistani cities, including the capital Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, and Quetta.
The rallies were organized by the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) and several other organizations.
The angry demonstrators chanted anti-government slogans and demanded the arrest of those behind the incident.
The angry protesters blamed the government for failing to prosecute the perpetrators.
The protesters demanded that the Pakistani government take decisive action against the forces involved in the targeted killings, saying that Islamabad cannot provide security for the Shia Muslim community.
The protest rallies were held hours after at least 20 people were killed in explosions that rocked a Shia mosque packed with worshipers in Peshawar. The attack also injured more than 50 others, according to police and medical sources.
Local security officials said the attack took place when Shia worshipers were performing Friday prayers.
This is the latest deadly incident in a wave of violence against the Shia Muslim community in Pakistan. Pro-Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for similar attacks in the violence-wracked country.
On January 30, at least 60 people were killed and dozens injured in a bomb attack on a Shia mosque and religious center in the town of Shikarpur, around 470 kilometers (300 miles) north of Karachi.
The frequent incidents have raised concerns among human rights groups, while moderate Pakistani Sunni groups have described the issue as a conspiracy against the country.
Shias make up about a third of Pakistan’s population of over 180 million.
