Karachi: January 4, 1999

Gunmen opened fire on Shiite Muslim worshippers as they knelt in prayer at a mosque in Punjab, province of Pakistan today, killing 16 people instantly and wounding at least 25 others, according to the eye witness accounts.

As many as 13 of the wounded are believed to be in critical condition, eye witness accounts said.

The attack in Shah Jamal, 180 miles south of eastern Punjab provincial capital of Lahore, occurred as 100 Shiite Muslim were offering their morning prayers that marked the beginning of their daylong fast, in this holy month of Ramadhan.

The attackers, who were riding motorcycles, sprayed the mosque with bullets as they sped past, eyewitnesses said. There were as many as four motorcycles, with two men on each motorcycles, they said.

Urban centres of Sindh province have been politicised vis-à-vis law and order situation as a deliberate policy of the Nawaz Sharif Government. In fact, terrorism and law and order situation has been endemic in Punjab. Similarly, while Karachi is generally regarded as the most violent urban centre in Pakistan, statistically it turns out that Lahore, the home town of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has been the murder capital of the world. We are enclosing a report published by the "Friday Times" on 28^th. December 1998, an English language Weekly of Lahore.

One could draw their own conclusion as to the hypocritical nature of the Government of Nawaz Sharif that on the one hand, it imposed Governor’s Rule in Sindh province, called in the Army by invoking the Article 245 of the Constitution who have established their Military Courts. These Military Courts are summarily and arbitrarily hanging people in Karachi. While on the other hand, it is not taking the same steps in Punjab where terrorism and lawlessness is rampant.