Lahore: Gunmen killed three people including a senior army officer in an attack on a Sufi shrine in central Pakistan, officials said on Monday, in the latest deadly sectarian violence to hit the country.
The incident happened in the town of Sargodha, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of the capital Islamabad, late Saturday but was not immediately reported.
"Gunmen stormed the shrine of a Sufi saint on the outskirts of Sargodha town on Saturday night and opened indiscriminate fire, killing a senior officer of the military and two others," Muhammmad Farooq, a local police official, told AFP.
He named the officer as Fazal Noor Subhani, a serving brigadier.
"A religious gathering was going on in the shrine and around 35 people were present there during the time of the attack," he said.
Farooq told AFP that Fazal Noor Qadri, who was the shrine caretaker and the brigadier's brother, was also killed with one other person.
The dead men belonged to the Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam that is influenced by Sufi mysticism.
Ghulam Murtaza, another senior police official, confirmed the incident.
Sufi shrines are popular among Muslims in South Asia but have come under attack in recent years from Sunni extremists in Pakistan, who see them as antithetical to Islam.
Barelvis make up the majority of Pakistan's Muslims, who in turn comprise around 97 percent of the country's 180 million people.
Pakistan is rife with violence against religious minorities. Al-Qaeda and Taliban-led militants regularly target Christian, Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadi and Shiite communities in the country.
The incident happened in the town of Sargodha, 250 kilometres (155 miles) south of the capital Islamabad, late Saturday but was not immediately reported.
"Gunmen stormed the shrine of a Sufi saint on the outskirts of Sargodha town on Saturday night and opened indiscriminate fire, killing a senior officer of the military and two others," Muhammmad Farooq, a local police official, told AFP.
"A religious gathering was going on in the shrine and around 35 people were present there during the time of the attack," he said.
Advertisement
The dead men belonged to the Barelvi sect of Sunni Islam that is influenced by Sufi mysticism.
Advertisement
Sufi shrines are popular among Muslims in South Asia but have come under attack in recent years from Sunni extremists in Pakistan, who see them as antithetical to Islam.
Advertisement
Pakistan is rife with violence against religious minorities. Al-Qaeda and Taliban-led militants regularly target Christian, Sikhs, Hindus, Ahmadi and Shiite communities in the country.
COMMENTS
Advertisement
NIA Probes Blast That Killed 1, Turns Out To Be Cooker Making Khichdi Neeraj Chopra vs Arshad Nadeem Javelin Series? Ex-Pakistan Star Says It'll Be Bigger Than... Bangladesh Allows Ousted MP Cricketer From Sheikh Hasina's Party To Play Test Series In Pakistan 2 French Rafale Jets Collide Mid-Air, Instructor, Pilot Missing Ayatollah Khamenei Warns Of "Divine Wrath" If Iran Backs Down Against Israel Mob Vandalised Kolkata Doctor Rape Murder Case Crime Scene? Cops Respond Huge Participation At Independence Day Celebrations By Army's Spear Corps Akasa Air Flight Makes Emergency Landing In Bhopal For Sick Passenger Musk Has A Favourite Interview Question That Experts Say Can Catch Liars Track Latest News Live on NDTV.com and get news updates from India and around the world.