Karachi, Aug 17: Paramilitary troops and police in body armor patrolled troubled parts of Karachi today, guarding against sectarian violence following the killing of two Shiite Muslims in the Pakistani port city a day earlier. A mob of about 100 youths shouting anti-American slogans threw stones and bricks at a Kentucky fried chicken, or KFC, outlet today as funeral prayers for one of the victims was being said at a nearby mosque, according to witnesses.
Police fired several rounds of tear gas shells, disbursing the crowd. The restaurant closed.
In Karachi's Malir district where one of the killings occurred, stores were shuttered and most people stayed at home following a night of demonstrations in which hundreds of demonstrators damaged buildings, burned tires and stopped traffic to protest the killing of a Shiite Muslim doctor and a store owner.
"We believe the killings were targeted, sectarian killings," said police official Tariq Jamil.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, however. Police were investigating.
Police and local government officials held meetings late yesterday, and sectarian leaders promised to try to curb the violent protests, said Sindh provincial police chief Syed Kamal Shah.
"The situation is now normal and there are no problems," Shah said.
Bureau Report