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| Gunmen Kill 8 Members of Persecuted Minority in Pakistan | Gunmen Kill 8 Members of Persecuted Minority in Pakistan |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — At least eight men were killed and two others wounded when unidentified gunmen opened fire on a bus in southwestern Pakistan, the police and rescue officials said Thursday. | |
| The victims were ethnic Hazara, a Persian-speaking Shiite Muslim minority group that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists in recent years. | The victims were ethnic Hazara, a Persian-speaking Shiite Muslim minority group that has been repeatedly targeted by Sunni extremists in recent years. |
| Officials said the bus was attacked by four to six gunmen on motorcycles on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. | Officials said the bus was attacked by four to six gunmen on motorcycles on the outskirts of Quetta, capital of the southwestern province of Baluchistan. |
| The victims were vegetable sellers who were returning to a local Hazara enclave from a market, the police said. | The victims were vegetable sellers who were returning to a local Hazara enclave from a market, the police said. |
| There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell heavily on Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni militant group with strong links to the Taliban that has targeted Shiites in a brutal campaign of violence in recent years. | There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suspicion fell heavily on Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a banned Sunni militant group with strong links to the Taliban that has targeted Shiites in a brutal campaign of violence in recent years. |
| The gunmen escaped easily after the killings. Six men died at the scene, and two others at a hospital, officials said. | The gunmen escaped easily after the killings. Six men died at the scene, and two others at a hospital, officials said. |
| Hazara leaders expressed frustration with the government and anguish over the latest attack. “In the last decade, at least 2,000 of our people have been killed, and yet the killers remain unpunished,” Abdul Khaliq Hazara, the Quetta-based leader of the Hazara Democratic Party, said by telephone. | Hazara leaders expressed frustration with the government and anguish over the latest attack. “In the last decade, at least 2,000 of our people have been killed, and yet the killers remain unpunished,” Abdul Khaliq Hazara, the Quetta-based leader of the Hazara Democratic Party, said by telephone. |
| “No action has been taken against the culprits. No arrests have been made over past acts of violence,” Mr. Hazara said. “It seems the killers have been given a free hand.” | “No action has been taken against the culprits. No arrests have been made over past acts of violence,” Mr. Hazara said. “It seems the killers have been given a free hand.” |
| Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Baluchistan’s chief minister, Abdul Malik Baluch, condemned the killings and ordered the law enforcement authorities to ensure that Hazaras are protected. | Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Baluchistan’s chief minister, Abdul Malik Baluch, condemned the killings and ordered the law enforcement authorities to ensure that Hazaras are protected. |
| But Mr. Hazara expressed doubt that action would be taken. “I know no one will be arrested even now,” he said. | But Mr. Hazara expressed doubt that action would be taken. “I know no one will be arrested even now,” he said. |
| He said Hazaras had called for a strike Friday in Quetta and would observe a three-day mourning period for the victims. But he said the community had been “paralyzed” by the recurrent violence. | He said Hazaras had called for a strike Friday in Quetta and would observe a three-day mourning period for the victims. But he said the community had been “paralyzed” by the recurrent violence. |
| “We cannot organize any protests,” he said. “If we go out, we fear being targeted again.” | “We cannot organize any protests,” he said. “If we go out, we fear being targeted again.” |