Gunmen killed the provincial leader of a Pakistani Sunni sectarian group on Friday and police deployed to prevent more violence after the anti-Shi'ite faction called for protests. Sectarian strife has been worsening in Pakistan, where Shi'ite Muslims make up about 20 percent of the 180 million population. Maulana Shamsur Rehman, the Punjab leader of Ahle Sunnat Wal Jama (ASWJ), was shot while leaving a mosque, said Mahmmed Rafiq from Shafiqabad police station. Rehman's group was formed by members of the banned organisation Sipah-e-Sahaba, which had repeatedly said it wanted to expel Shi'ites from Pakistan. ASWJ leader Maulana Ahmed Ludhianvi said in a tweet that the killing of Rehman was part of a "big plot" and that "the situation is now getting out of control." Another party official tweeted that "party workers should be ready to protest countrywide."
(photo credit: The Jerusalem Post)