Sunday, February 29, 2004
Suicide attacker blows himself up in Rawalpindi
Reuters Rawalpindi, February 28
A suicide bomber blew himself up trying to attack a gathering of minority Shi'ite Muslims in Rawalpindi on Saturday, slightly injuring two children, officials and witnesses said.
The attack happened at a Shi'ite mosque in Rawalpindi, which adjoins capital Islamabad, Interior Ministry spokesman Abdul Rauf Chaudhry said.
"There was one person who blew himself up. There was no other damage except the man himself."
However, witnesses said two children were slightly hurt in the blast. Police immediately cordoned off the area.
The attack came as Shi'ites across Pakistan were gathered for Muharram, a mourning period to mark the martyrdom of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hussein more than 1,300 years ago.
Security forces have been on high alert for fear of sectarian attacks by militants from Pakistan's Sunni Muslim majority during the period.
Last July, a suicide attack on a Shi'ite mosque in the southwestern city of Quetta killed more than 50 people.
Earlier this month, the government issued an order banning more than 300 hardline clerics from leaving their home districts to prevent them inciting violence during Muharram. Hundreds of people have died in violence between Sunni and Shi'ites in Pakistan in recent years.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.