Violence claims 19 lives in Pakistan

Violence triggered by political and sectarian confrontation claimed 19 lives in Pakistan's southern provinces of Sindh and Balochistan on Tuesday, local media reported. In Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, at least 12 people were killed and 14 others injured. Syed Shabeer Zaidi, General Secretary of Jafferia Alliance, a prominent group of Shiah Muslim, announced a three-day mourning over the target killing of a leader of the group and his aide. An activist of MQM, the political party of Urdu speaking people, and an activist of ANP, the political party of Pashto speaking people, were gunned down in separate politically motivated attack. In Hyderabad, a neighboring city of Karachi, four people were killed and five injured in separate politically and religiously motivated attacks. In Quetta, the provincial capital of Balochistan, three people were killed and two others injured when some unidentified militants opened fire at a car in Spini road area of the city. Police said that the deceased belonged to Hazara community of Shiah Muslim and the killing was a sectarian attack.