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Indian-controlled Kashmir separatist alliance condemns deadly mosque blast in Pakistan

Xinhua, January 31, 2015 Adjust font size:

Hurriyat (freedom) Conference, a hardline separatist alliance of Indian-controlled Kashmir, on Saturday strongly condemned the killing of more than 60 civilians in a bomb blast inside a mosque in Pakistan.

Reports said at least 61 people were killed and 50 others were wounded in a bomb blast at a Shiite mosque in Shikarpur district of Pakistan's southern Sindh province on Friday.

The bomb exploded inside the mosque, where people had gathered for Friday afternoon congregational prayers.

Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Geelani has expressed shock and grief over the bomb blast, and expressed his sympathy and condolences with the bereaved families.

Terming attackers the open enemies of the Islam and humanity, Geelani urged the Pakistan government to hang them.

"Although the foreign agencies are involved in spreading the sectarian differences in Pakistan but these conspiracies get the raw material from within the Pakistan," a spokesman quoted Geelani as having said.

The senior separatist leader also blamed the "ill-informed" clerics of Pakistan for the attacks on Shiite community.

"These Molvies (clerics) are far away from the kind system of justice of Islam and have very aggressive attitude toward the Muslims of the other schools of thought," Geelani said. "The Shiite community of the Muslims has played a very important role in the creation and formation of Pakistan and no true Muslim and patriotic Pakistani can term them separate."

Sectarian violence in Pakistan has been on the rise over past years. Sunni militant groups often target the Shiite minority in Pakistan. Endi