ISLAMABAD, March 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Pakistani police have arrested more than two dozen leaders and activists of
the Tehrik-i-Jafria Pakistan (TJP) in the last 24 hours after an attack on a mosque in Lahore claiming the lives of ten Sunnis.
"We have arrested around two dozen Shiite activists for investigations into the mosque attack," a police officer in Lahore said.
"Police are continuing to raid the homes of our workers and leaders and have arrested more than 50 people during the past two days," said Izhar Bokhari, spokesperson of the TJP.
Unidentified gunmen slaughtered 10 Sunnis during evening prayers in a mosque in Lahore Monday. Shiite leaders denied the connection of any Shiite organization to the incident in Lahore.
Moreover, they criticized government functionaries for "exploiting" the tension between Shiites and Sunnis. The TJP said police raided the house of its provincial chief in Punjab but he escaped arrest. "Police have detained innocent people who have nothing to do with any violence," Bokhari said.
A majority of Shiite leaders and workers have gone underground to avoid their arrests, reported the Dawn, a Pakistani daily.
The raids were the first police crackdown on the minority Shiite community in Pakistan in more than two years. Police have already taken to custody more than 800 members of the Sunni group Sipah-i-Sahaba, frequently blamed for attacks on Shiites.
Pakistan has been shaken by a sudden ascent into sectarian violence since the execution of a Sunni activist on February 28th, the first ever resulting from sectarian clashes. Shiites form about 20% of Pakistan's 140 million Sunni-dominated population. The violence has claimed more than 3,000 lives in the past 10 years.
In addition, the administration in the province of Punjab has decided to place more than 50 religious scholars under house arrest in order to maintain law and order during Muharram, a month that marks special celebrations for Shiites. The month usually sees frequent violence.
High-level sources said that house arrests would be enforced from 1st Muharram and throughout the month, reported the Pakistan News Service on Thursday.
