Pakistani Sectarian Clash Leaves At Least Five Dead

Pakistani police say at least five people have been killed in clashes between two rival religious political parties in the central province of Punjab.

Police said members of the Ahle Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) party, a radical Sunni Muslim group, and Majlis-e Wahdat-e Muslimeen (MWM), a Shi'ite political group, exchanged gunfire in the town of Bhakkar on August 23.

Police said that three people were shot dead, while two others died while being rushed to hospital.

Reports say the groups clashed after ASWJ accused MWM of gunning down one of its members.

Pakistani security forces have been deployed to the town.

Pakistan has seen a surge of sectarian violence in recent years.

Based on reporting by AP and "Express Tribune"