Mosque blast kills four as thousands mourn clerics

A BLAST at a Shi’ite mosque in the eastern Pakistan city of Lahore yesterday killed four people, including the bomber, amid fears of spiralling sectarian violence.

Meanwhile, thousands of people mourned two Sunni Muslim clerics who were gunned down in the volatile southern city of Karachi, and authorities rounded up scores of people with links to militant groups to forestall more attacks.

Pakistan has already banned religious gatherings and stepped up security nationwide after a bout of violence in the past 10 days that has spoiled the US-backed government’s recent claims to be winning its war against terrorism.