Arif Ali—AFP
Two others wounded in Lahore attack.
Allama Nasir Abbas, a Shia cleric, was gunned down late Sunday after addressing a religious gathering in Lahore.
“Two attackers on motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle,” said police official Rana Abdul Jabbar, “it was an incident of targeted killing.” The attackers could not be apprehended, and no group has so far taken responsibility for Abbas’ assassination. According to some press reports, the cleric’s driver and security guard were also wounded in the attack.
After Abbas’ killing, Shia groups protested at the hospital where Abbas was being treated and in front of Governor House.
There has been a rise in sectarian violence in Pakistan after several recent clashes between Sunni and Shia groups, and the assassinations of both Shia and Sunni leaders.
The Shia account for some 20 percent of Pakistan’s population.