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Pakistan Holds Mass Funeral For Shi'a Killed In Bus Attack


Members of Pakistan's Shi'ite community light candles for the victims and to condemn the attack on a bus in Karachi on May 13.
Members of Pakistan's Shi'ite community light candles for the victims and to condemn the attack on a bus in Karachi on May 13.

Hundreds of Pakistanis have paid their respects at a mass funeral for 43 minority Shi'a killed in an attack the day before on a bus in the southern city of Karachi.

Pakistan is observing a day of mourning on May 14 over the killings. State-run television broadcast live footage showing mourners attending the last rites for the victims.

The bus was en route to a place of worship for Ismaili Shi'ite Muslims on May 13 when gunmen boarded it and sprayed the passengers with bullets.

A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban called Jundullah claimed responsibility for the attack.

The Al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group has targeted Shi'a and foreign tourists in the past. It pledged loyalty to Islamic State (IS) militants in November 2014.

Shi'ite Pakistanis represent around 20 percent of the country's predominantly Muslim population of 200 million.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP

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