Witten by: Saad Mahmood
Blasphemy is a sensitive issue in Pakistan, even unproven allegations have led to mobs rioting and murders of many people throughout the country’s history.
Karachi- Pakistan’s largest city has also had a history of being known as one of the most dangerous cities, once being rampant with ethnic, sectarian and political militancy with thousand killed, and being a central hub for crime.
As known, the Muslim Sunni and Muslim Shia (Shiite) sects have always been at odds with each other- ever since the killing of Prophet Muhammad’s grandson Hazarat Hussain at the battle of Karbala in 680 AD, the defining moment of the religions chasm and the birth of Shiite Islam.
The rivalry burst out when Major Shiite leaders in Pakistan were accused of blasphemy after a televised broadcast of an Ashura procession that showed clerics and participants allegedly making insulting remarks about historic Islamic figures.
On 30th August, 2020 Friday, Sunni extremists protested near the tomb of Muhammad Ali Jinnah the country’s founder where the participants were chanting “God is the greatest” and Qari Usman “We will not tolerate any more defamation”.
Sectarian Violence has been a big issue for decades of Pakistan, which has led to the birth of homegrown anti-Shiite militant groups bombing shrines and target Ashura processions.
Thousands were killed in the last decade which sparked a fierce cramp down by security forces in 2015, leading to a dramatic drop in sectarian violence. Since 2013 operations by security forces have lessened sectarian violence but scattered attacks still take place from time to time.