Peshawar mosque attack lays bare intolerance against Shias in Pakistan

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 16 (ANI): The Peshawar mosque attack is a reminder of how Pakistanis continue to be openly intolerant towards Shias in the country and there is still active support for groups that target their communities, local media reported.
Shias are one of the largest persecuted minority groups in Pakistan with scores losing their lives only because of the faith they choose to follow, according to an opinion piece published in The Express Tribune.
The blast in a Shia mosque in Peshawar on March 4 resulted in the death of over 60 people, including seven children below 10, and left nearly 200 people injured.
While the authorities always cite 'invisible' hand seeking to destabilize the country's fragile security as the reason behind such terror attacks, the Peshawar mosque attack did not target random Pakistani worshippers.
These worshippers belonged to the Shia community who have been the victim of these atrocities for decades, according to the media outlet that added that the religion has been used as a political pawn in the history of Pakistan where sectarian violence has an entrenched and a deeply political, violent history.
Notably, Shias comprise nearly 20 per cent of Pakistan's population and are the target of violence by Sunni Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Shias are mostly excluded from positions of power. Doctors, businessmen and other professionals have been targeted in Karachi by Sunni terrorists on a regular basis.
According to one estimate, over 1,900 Shias were killed in bomb blasts or targeted gun attacks from 2012 to May 2015 alone. (ANI)