People gather at a mosque targeted by bomber in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on June 21, 2013.
The people of the southwestern Pakistani city of Quetta have held a complete shutdown strike in response to the ongoing killings of Shia Muslims in the volatile city.
Almost all institutions and businesses remained closed, and traffic stayed off the streets across the troubled city on Tuesday.
Reports further indicated that all schools and government offices remained closed in Quetta and its adjacent neighborhoods.
Meanwhile, a prominent Shia leader has threatened to launch a civil disobedience movement if the ongoing genocide against Shia Hazaras was not stopped.
He urged swift action by the UN to end violence against Shia Muslims across Pakistan.
“We will approach the United Nations and other human rights groups if the killings are not stopped,” chief of the Hazara Political Workers Party, Muhammad Tahir Hazara told a press conference.
He also warned that some elements were descending the region into chaos and civil war.
“Some elements want to lead the city towards civil war,” he feared.
The developments come a day after gunmen opened fire on a vehicle in the Pakistani city of Quetta, the capital of the southwestern Balochistan Province, killing four Shia Muslims.
No group has yet claimed responsibility, but pro-Taliban militants usually take responsibility for similar attacks in the violence-wracked country.
This is also the latest deadly incident in a wave of violence against the Shia Muslim community in Pakistan.
Human Rights Watch says hundreds of Shias were killed in Pakistan in 2012, which was the deadliest year on record for the Shia Muslim community.
Reports say the anti-Shia terrorist group of Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ) was behind most of the attacks on Shia Muslims in Pakistan.
This comes while Shia Muslims in Pakistan say the government must take decisive action against the forces involved in the targeted killings. They also accuse Islamabad of failing to provide security for the Muslim community.
The countryâ„¢s Shia leaders have called on the government to form a judicial commission to investigate the bloodshed.
The killing of Shias has caused an international outrage, with rights groups and regional countries expressing concern over the ongoing deadly violence.
Shias make up about one third of Pakistanâ„¢s population of over 180 million.
JR/PR
Republished with permission from: Press TV