Ten killed in sectarian violence in Pakistan

Gunmen opened fire on Shiite Muslims in a remote town of north-western Pakistan, sparking gun battles between majority Sunni and Shiites that left 10 people dead and 83 wounded, an official said today.

The trouble began on Friday when unidentified people opened fire on Shiites near their mosque in Parachinar, a town about 150 miles south-west of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier province bordering Afghanistan.

Authorities immediately imposed curfew, and called troops, who were trying to restore order in the town, said Arbab Mohammed Arif Khan, secretary for law and order in Pakistan’s semiautonomous tribal regions.