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Mass funeral held for slain Ismailis in Pakistan’s Karachi

Ambulances transport the coffins of victims of an attack on Pakistani Shia Ismaili community members to a graveyard for their burial in Karachi on May 14, 2015. © AFP

Pakistanis have taken to the streets in the southern city of Karachi for a mass funeral procession of dozens of Ismaili Shia Muslims killed in a terrorist attack.

With their faces full of tears, people poured into the streets of Karachi on Thursday to perform the final prayers for the victims of Wednesday's brutal bus attack which saw 43 people killed.

Two more passengers, also belonging to the Ismaili community, succumbed to their injuries on Thursday, bringing the death toll to 45.

A group of gunmen opened fire on the bus on Wednesday, indiscriminately killing the people on board. Pakistan’s Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Pakistani government declared Thursday a day of national mourning to express solidarity with the members of the Ismaili community. All government buildings saw the national flags flying at half mast.

Pakistanis light candles during a vigil for the Ismaili Shia Muslims killed in a terrorist attack in Karachi on May 13, 2015. (© AFP)

People in the Pakistani-controlled Jammu and Kashmir, home to other Shia communities, also observed mourning and held ceremonies in commemoration of the victims.

The United Nations and Human Rights Watch also condemned the shooting and urged the Pakistani government to bring to justice the perpetrators.

The attack also sparked massive condemnations inside Pakistan, with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif rushing to the port city to hold an emergency meeting right after the incident. He later called for an immediate investigation into the attack. Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif also canceled his pre-planned visit to Sri Lanka and traveled to Karachi.

Major figures and leaders of the political parties have also condemned the attack, offering condolences to survivors and families of the victims.

Pakistan has seen at least four other terrorist incidents involving members of the Shia community since the start of 2015, with nearly 150 people falling victims to hate attacks across the country.

MS/KA/GHN


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