May 2010 attacks on Ahmadi mosques in Lahore
Encyclopedia
The May 2010 Lahore attacks occurred on 28 May 2010 in Lahore
, Punjab
, Pakistan
, during Friday prayers. 86 people were killed and more than 120 were injured in nearly simultaneous attacks against two mosques of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
. After the initial attack, a hostage situation lasted for hours. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
, as well as their Punjab wing, claimed responsibility for the attacks and were also blamed by the Pakistani Police.
who they believe was sent by God as a prophet and the Promised Messiah and Imam Mehdi prophesied in Islam "to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and re-institute morality, justice and peace." It is estimated there are between 3 - 4 million Ahmadis in Pakistan.
The Ahmadiyya
Muslims have previously been targeted
by Sunni
groups, while they have also suffered discrimination in Pakistan in the past, most significantly during the Lahore riots of 1953
. Pakistan does not recognize the Ahmadis as Muslim, because the latter do not recognize the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad
, a core tenet of mainstream Islam. They were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan in 1973 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
and were legally banned from identifying themselves as such in 1984 during General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
as per Ordinance XX
, despite Ahmadis calling themselves Muslim and following the rituals of Islam. The ban occurred when jihadist ideology became embedded in Pakistan's state and education system. The Media in Pakistan are legally barred from referring to an Ahmadi place of worship as a Mosque.
Human Rights group in Pakistan said that they had warned of threats to the Ahmadi community center in Model Town for more than a year, saying the government took inadequate steps to provide security. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir; an independent expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall; and the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, claimed that because Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims and have been subject to a number of restrictions, in many instances institutionalized discrimination, opinion makers are emboldened to seek to fuel hatred, and perpetrators of attacks against religious minorities find cannon fodder
. According to Minority Rights Group International
, Pakistan had the world's highest increase of threats against minorities last year and was ranked the sixth most dangerous country for minorities overall.
Lahore has also been the site of various interval attacks by militants, including on visiting Sri Lankan cricketers
and the police academy
, amongst others.
's sermon on television.
Gunmen also attacked a hospital, on the same day, in which some of the injured from the mosque attack were being treated. It is unclear whether the gunmen were trying to free one of their own who was also being treated in the hospital or trying to kill him. The gunmen indiscriminately started to fire in the hospital, killing twelve people.
and in Garhi Shahu, 15 km apart.
The attackers at Garhi Shahu, including two would be suicide bombers, entered the mosque without any resistance, before storming into the prayer halls firing guns, throwing grenades . The assault at Model Town involved two attackers opening fire on worshippers before exploding hand grenades. The attackers weren't taking any hostages and were killing indiscriminately .
The Elite Police
arrived once the attackers had entered the mosques and did not launch an operation, the two attackers in Garhi Shahu blew themselves up though the attack in Garhi Shahu lasted four hours. 2 militants each were involved in both the attacks.
In model town both the attackers were captured alive as they were overpowered by some of the worshipers, one of the attackers was captured on the first floor by some of the young members of the Ahmaddiya Jammat i.e Khuddam, and one was overpowered in the main hall on the ground floor by a worshiper who was an ex-army officer. At one time up to 3000 people were reported to be holed up in the mosque during the firing. This was the deadliest attack in Lahore of its kind, and one of the most severe in terms of lives lost in the history of persecution against Ahmadis.
, the headquarters of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Pakistan, for funeral services. However, it was noted that ministers, politicians and prominent figures did not attend the funeral services, although many made statements condemning the attacks; neither did large sections of the electronic media cover the burial ceremonies. There were also complaints that authorities did not provide adequate security for the funeral ceremony at Rabwah. Observers said this was largely due to the fear of a backlash as the Ahmadis have the legal status of "non-Muslims" in Pakistan. A politician claimed that "only to call a dead Ahmadi a martyr is enough to send you behind bars for three years under the laws of the land."
, a Muslim missionary group, described by some experts as the antechamber to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Its headquarters are in Raiwind, on the outskirts of Lahore. He also added that he believed the attackers, who operated as commandos, had been trained in Waziristan
.
and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
, which were previously sponsored by the Government of Pakistan. A sms
sent to many journalists and signed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
as well as the Punjabi wing of Al-Qaeda
stated that "This is a final warning to the Ahmedi community to leave Pakistan or prepare for death at the hands of the Prophet Muhammad's devotees."
The Lahore police also stated that the attacks were carried out by six militants belonging to Pakistani Taliban, who were trained in the town of Miranshah
in North Waziristan
. They were aged between 17 and 28 and arrived in Lahore on May 21.
It has been claimed that the reason why the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan attacked Ahmadi mosques was because Al Qaeda wished to gain public support in Pakistan. Al Qaeda have been launching attacks on Shia congregations in the past, but a majority of Sunnis did not endorse these attacks. Brigadier Saad said that by attacking a "community that is not liked by most of (sic) Sunni Muslims belonging to [the] Deoband
i and Barelvi
schools of thought, the terror network has attempted to win some sort of support from these groups" and that also because of the attack "at least close to two million those who study at Deobandi madrassahs across Pakistan would definitely have some kind of “favorable” opinion about al Qaeda." Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan vowed to launch more such attacks on what it called "infidels."
human rights "experts," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
, said "Members of this religious community have faced continuous threats, discrimination and violent attacks in Pakistan. There is a real risk that similar violence might happen again unless advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is adequately addressed. The Government must take every step to ensure the security of members of all religious minorities and their places of worship so as to prevent any recurrence of today’s dreadful incident." Ban's spokesperson expressed condemndation and extended his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government.
The United States
ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson
, issued an unusually strong statement saying Pakistan had witnessed an increase in "provocative statements that promote intolerance and are an incitement to extremist violence."
An editorial published in Dawn
condemned the attacks, commenting that "Bigotry in this country has been decades in the making and is expressed in a variety of ways. Violence by individuals or groups against those who hold divergent views may be the most despicable manifestation of such prejudice but it is by no means the only one. Religious minorities in Pakistan have not only been shunted to the margins of society but also face outright persecution on a regular basis."
In a statement made after the attacks the Interior Minister of Pakistan Rehman Malik
admitted that militant groups were deeply entrenched in the southern part of Punjab
and were destabilizing the country. He however ruled out the possibility of military offensive in Punjab against these militants.
rifles, as well as bomb-making material, and four of the men are alleged to have been logistical supporters to the attack.
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, during Friday prayers. 86 people were killed and more than 120 were injured in nearly simultaneous attacks against two mosques of the minority Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community is the larger of two communities that arose from the Ahmadiyya movement founded in 1889 in India by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian . The original movement split into two factions soon after the death of the founder...
. After the initial attack, a hostage situation lasted for hours. Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , alternatively referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most, but not all, Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP...
, as well as their Punjab wing, claimed responsibility for the attacks and were also blamed by the Pakistani Police.
Background
The Ahmadiyya movement was started in 1889 and follows the teachings of Mirza Ghulam AhmadMirza Ghulam Ahmad
Mīrzā Ghulām Aḥmad was a religious figure from India and the founder of the Ahmadiyya Community. He claimed to be the Mujaddid of the 14th Islamic century, the promised Messiah , and the Mahdi awaited by the Muslims in the end days...
who they believe was sent by God as a prophet and the Promised Messiah and Imam Mehdi prophesied in Islam "to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and re-institute morality, justice and peace." It is estimated there are between 3 - 4 million Ahmadis in Pakistan.
The Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya
Ahmadiyya is an Islamic religious revivalist movement founded in India near the end of the 19th century, originating with the life and teachings of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad , who claimed to have fulfilled the prophecies about the world reformer of the end times, who was to herald the Eschaton as...
Muslims have previously been targeted
Persecution of Ahmadiyya
The Persecution of Ahmadis is the religious persecution of Ahmadi Muslims as a consequence of professing their faith. They have been subject to various forms of persecution and discrimination since the movement's inception in 1889...
by Sunni
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
groups, while they have also suffered discrimination in Pakistan in the past, most significantly during the Lahore riots of 1953
Lahore riots of 1953
The Lahore riots of 1953 were a series of violent agitations against the Ahmadiyya movement in the city of Lahore, Pakistan, which were quelled by the Pakistan Army. Demonstrations began around February, and soon escalated into citywide incidents of murder, looting and arson against the Ahmadi...
. Pakistan does not recognize the Ahmadis as Muslim, because the latter do not recognize the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
, a core tenet of mainstream Islam. They were declared non-Muslim in Pakistan in 1973 by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was 9th Prime Minister of Pakistan from 1973 to 1977, and prior to that, 4th President of Pakistan from 1971 to 1973. Bhutto was the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party — the largest and most influential political party in Pakistan— and served as its chairman until his...
and were legally banned from identifying themselves as such in 1984 during General Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
Zia-ul-Haq's Islamization
On December 2, 1978, General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq delivered a nationwide address on the occasion of the first day of the Hijra calendar. He did this in order to usher in an Islamic system to Pakistan...
as per Ordinance XX
Ordinance XX
Ordinance XX is an legal ordinance of the Government of Pakistan that was promulgated under the regime of General Zia-ul-Haq and is meant to restrict members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community from applying certain Islamic terms to their own religious practices and beliefs.-Precedent:Ordinance XLIV...
, despite Ahmadis calling themselves Muslim and following the rituals of Islam. The ban occurred when jihadist ideology became embedded in Pakistan's state and education system. The Media in Pakistan are legally barred from referring to an Ahmadi place of worship as a Mosque.
Human Rights group in Pakistan said that they had warned of threats to the Ahmadi community center in Model Town for more than a year, saying the government took inadequate steps to provide security. The UN Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Asma Jahangir; an independent expert on minority issues, Gay McDougall; and the Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Philip Alston, claimed that because Ahmadis have been declared non-Muslims and have been subject to a number of restrictions, in many instances institutionalized discrimination, opinion makers are emboldened to seek to fuel hatred, and perpetrators of attacks against religious minorities find cannon fodder
Cannon fodder
Cannon fodder is an informal, derogatory term for military personnel who are regarded or treated as expendable in the face of enemy fire. The term is generally used in situations where soldiers are forced to deliberately fight against hopeless odds in an effort to achieve a strategic goal...
. According to Minority Rights Group International
Minority Rights Group International
Minority Rights Group International is an organisation founded with the objective of promoting respect for the human rights of ethnic, religious and linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples around the world...
, Pakistan had the world's highest increase of threats against minorities last year and was ranked the sixth most dangerous country for minorities overall.
Lahore has also been the site of various interval attacks by militants, including on visiting Sri Lankan cricketers
2009 attack on the Sri Lanka national cricket team
The Sri Lankan cricket team attack occurred on March 3, 2009, when a bus carrying Sri Lankan cricketers, part of a larger convoy, was fired upon by 12 gunmen, near the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan. The cricketers were on their way to play the third day of the second Test against the...
and the police academy
2009 Lahore police academy attacks
At 7.30 am on 30 March 2009, the Manawan Police Academy in Lahore, Pakistan was attacked by an estimated 12 gunmen. The perpetrators were armed with automatic weapons and grenades or rockets and some were dressed as policemen. They took over the main building during a morning parade when 750...
, amongst others.
Follow-up
An Ahmadi man was stabbed to death, while his son was when a trespasser attacked them. It was said that the assailant threatened not to leave any Ahmadi alive after hearing a mullahMullah
Mullah is generally used to refer to a Muslim man, educated in Islamic theology and sacred law. The title, given to some Islamic clergy, is derived from the Arabic word مَوْلَى mawlā , meaning "vicar", "master" and "guardian"...
's sermon on television.
Gunmen also attacked a hospital, on the same day, in which some of the injured from the mosque attack were being treated. It is unclear whether the gunmen were trying to free one of their own who was also being treated in the hospital or trying to kill him. The gunmen indiscriminately started to fire in the hospital, killing twelve people.
Attack
The perpetrators lobbed grenades and started firing as they attacked two mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect in different residential neighborhoods. The near simultaneous attacks were at Darul Zikr, Garhi Shahu and Bait-al Noor. Lack of security meant they easily infiltrated both the Mosques in Lahore Model TownLahore Model Town
Model Town Lahore is one of residential suburbs of Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. It is located next to Faisal Town, Gulberg, Garden Town and Township suburbs of Lahore.- History :...
and in Garhi Shahu, 15 km apart.
The attackers at Garhi Shahu, including two would be suicide bombers, entered the mosque without any resistance, before storming into the prayer halls firing guns, throwing grenades . The assault at Model Town involved two attackers opening fire on worshippers before exploding hand grenades. The attackers weren't taking any hostages and were killing indiscriminately .
The Elite Police
Elite Police
The Elite Punjab Police, also known as the "Elite Force" or "Police Commandos", is a branch of the Punjab Police specializing in Counter-Terrorist operations and VIP security duties, as well as acting against serious crime and performing high-risk operations which can't be carried out by the...
arrived once the attackers had entered the mosques and did not launch an operation, the two attackers in Garhi Shahu blew themselves up though the attack in Garhi Shahu lasted four hours. 2 militants each were involved in both the attacks.
In model town both the attackers were captured alive as they were overpowered by some of the worshipers, one of the attackers was captured on the first floor by some of the young members of the Ahmaddiya Jammat i.e Khuddam, and one was overpowered in the main hall on the ground floor by a worshiper who was an ex-army officer. At one time up to 3000 people were reported to be holed up in the mosque during the firing. This was the deadliest attack in Lahore of its kind, and one of the most severe in terms of lives lost in the history of persecution against Ahmadis.
Funeral
Many victims of the two attacks were taken to the city of RabwahRabwah
Rabwah is a private city in the Chiniot District of Punjab Province, Pakistan located on the Chenab River near the historic city of Chiniot...
, the headquarters of Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Pakistan, for funeral services. However, it was noted that ministers, politicians and prominent figures did not attend the funeral services, although many made statements condemning the attacks; neither did large sections of the electronic media cover the burial ceremonies. There were also complaints that authorities did not provide adequate security for the funeral ceremony at Rabwah. Observers said this was largely due to the fear of a backlash as the Ahmadis have the legal status of "non-Muslims" in Pakistan. A politician claimed that "only to call a dead Ahmadi a martyr is enough to send you behind bars for three years under the laws of the land."
Investigation
Rana Sana Ullah Khan, the minister of law in Punjab Province, said the attackers stayed with the Tablighi JamaatTablighi Jamaat
Tablighi Jamaat is a religious movement which was founded in 1926 by Muhammad Ilyas al-Kandhlawi in India. The movement primarily aims at Tablighi spiritual reformation by working at the grass roots level, reaching out to Muslims across all social and economic spectra to bring them closer to...
, a Muslim missionary group, described by some experts as the antechamber to the Taliban and Al Qaeda. Its headquarters are in Raiwind, on the outskirts of Lahore. He also added that he believed the attackers, who operated as commandos, had been trained in Waziristan
Waziristan
Waziristan is a mountainous region near the Northwest of Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering some 11,585 km² . The area is entirely populated by ethnic Pashtuns . The language spoken in the valley is Pashto/Pakhto...
.
Responsibility
The Punjabi Taliban, a subset wing of the Pakistani Taliban reportedly laid claim to the attacks. It is allegedly composed of groups like Jaish-e-MohammedJaish-e-Mohammed
Jaish-e-Mohammed is a Pakistani-based, militant Islamic group established by Maulana Masood Azhar in March 2000...
and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi is a militant organization. Formed in 1996, it has operated in Pakistan since Sipah-e-Sahaba activist Riaz Basra broke away from the SSP over differences with his seniors...
, which were previously sponsored by the Government of Pakistan. A sms
SMS
SMS is a form of text messaging communication on phones and mobile phones. The terms SMS or sms may also refer to:- Computer hardware :...
sent to many journalists and signed by the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan
Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan , alternatively referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, is an umbrella organization of various Islamist militant groups based in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas along the Afghan border in Pakistan. Most, but not all, Pakistani Taliban groups coalesce under the TTP...
as well as the Punjabi wing of Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda
Al-Qaeda is a global broad-based militant Islamist terrorist organization founded by Osama bin Laden sometime between August 1988 and late 1989. It operates as a network comprising both a multinational, stateless army and a radical Sunni Muslim movement calling for global Jihad...
stated that "This is a final warning to the Ahmedi community to leave Pakistan or prepare for death at the hands of the Prophet Muhammad's devotees."
The Lahore police also stated that the attacks were carried out by six militants belonging to Pakistani Taliban, who were trained in the town of Miranshah
Miranshah
Miranshah is the capital or headquarters of North Waziristan in Pakistan. It is the site of a town, which has s small airfield that was built by the British for World War II. The area in which Miranshah sits is extremely dangerous mainly due to Taliban activities and U.S. Drone...
in North Waziristan
North Waziristan
North Waziristan is the northern part of Waziristan, a mountainous region of northwest Pakistan, bordering Afghanistan and covering . Waziristan comprises the area west and south-west of Peshawar between the Tochi river to the north and the Gomal river to the south, forming part of Pakistan's...
. They were aged between 17 and 28 and arrived in Lahore on May 21.
It has been claimed that the reason why the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan attacked Ahmadi mosques was because Al Qaeda wished to gain public support in Pakistan. Al Qaeda have been launching attacks on Shia congregations in the past, but a majority of Sunnis did not endorse these attacks. Brigadier Saad said that by attacking a "community that is not liked by most of (sic) Sunni Muslims belonging to [the] Deoband
Deoband
Deoband is a city and a municipal board in Saharanpur district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the upper Doab region of Uttar Pradesh. Deoband used to be surrounded by dense forests, and was believed to be the abode of the Goddess Durga, according to one tradition this is...
i and Barelvi
Barelvi
Barelvi is a term used for the movement of Sufi , Sunni Islam originating in the Indian subcontinent.The Movement is known as Ahle Sunnat movement to its followers....
schools of thought, the terror network has attempted to win some sort of support from these groups" and that also because of the attack "at least close to two million those who study at Deobandi madrassahs across Pakistan would definitely have some kind of “favorable” opinion about al Qaeda." Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan vowed to launch more such attacks on what it called "infidels."
Reactions
In a joint statement with three United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
human rights "experts," Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon
Ban Ki-moon is the eighth and current Secretary-General of the United Nations, after succeeding Kofi Annan in 2007. Before going on to be Secretary-General, Ban was a career diplomat in South Korea's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and in the United Nations. He entered diplomatic service the year he...
, said "Members of this religious community have faced continuous threats, discrimination and violent attacks in Pakistan. There is a real risk that similar violence might happen again unless advocacy of religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is adequately addressed. The Government must take every step to ensure the security of members of all religious minorities and their places of worship so as to prevent any recurrence of today’s dreadful incident." Ban's spokesperson expressed condemndation and extended his condolences to the families of the victims and to the Government.
The United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W. Patterson
Anne W. Patterson
Anne Woods Patterson is an American diplomat and career Foreign Service Officer. She currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Egypt. She previously served as acting United States Ambassador to the United Nations in 2005 and as United States Ambassador to Pakistan from July 2007 to...
, issued an unusually strong statement saying Pakistan had witnessed an increase in "provocative statements that promote intolerance and are an incitement to extremist violence."
An editorial published in Dawn
Dawn (newspaper)
Dawn is Pakistan's oldest and most widely read English-language newspaper. One of the country's two largest English-language dailies, it is the flagship of the Dawn Group of Newspapers, published by Pakistan Herald Publications, which also owns the Herald, a magazine, the evening paper The Star and...
condemned the attacks, commenting that "Bigotry in this country has been decades in the making and is expressed in a variety of ways. Violence by individuals or groups against those who hold divergent views may be the most despicable manifestation of such prejudice but it is by no means the only one. Religious minorities in Pakistan have not only been shunted to the margins of society but also face outright persecution on a regular basis."
In a statement made after the attacks the Interior Minister of Pakistan Rehman Malik
Rehman Malik
27 April 2009 He has been the interior adviser since 27 March 2008.Senator A. Rehman Malik is a Pakistani politician, member of the Senate of Pakistan, and the current Interior Minister of Pakistan under the Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani administration. His Second name is Shetan Malik and he...
admitted that militant groups were deeply entrenched in the southern part of Punjab
Punjab (Pakistan)
Punjab is the most populous province of Pakistan, with approximately 45% of the country's total population. Forming most of the Punjab region, the province is bordered by Kashmir to the north-east, the Indian states of Punjab and Rajasthan to the east, the Pakistani province of Sindh to the...
and were destabilizing the country. He however ruled out the possibility of military offensive in Punjab against these militants.
Arrests
On 5 July 2010, Pakistani police arrested six men, members of the banned group Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami, believed to be linked to the attack. The men were in possession of 18,000 kg of explosives, 21 grenades, six AK-47AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
rifles, as well as bomb-making material, and four of the men are alleged to have been logistical supporters to the attack.
See also
- Blasphemy law in PakistanBlasphemy law in PakistanThe Pakistan Penal Code prohibits blasphemy against any recognized religion, providing penalties ranging from a fine to death. However, in practice, it is only applied to Islam. An accusation of blasphemy commonly subjects the accused, police, lawyers, and judges to harassment, threats, and attacks...
- Sectarian violence in PakistanSectarian violence in PakistanSectarian violence in Pakistan spark up occasionally between the predominant Sunnis and minority Shias. According to Library of Congress, Pew Research Center, Oxford University, the CIA Factbook and other experts, Shi'a Islam in Pakistan make up 5-20% of the total Muslim population, while the...
- 2009 Gojra riots2009 Gojra riotsThe 2009 Gojra riots were a series of attacks targeting Christians in Gojra town in Punjab province of Pakistan. These resulted in the deaths of eight Christians including four women and a child.-Background:...
- List of terrorist incidents, 2010