Pakistani Shia Muslims protest against twin bomb attacks in the bazaar in Parachinar at a rally in Lahore.   The death toll from twin suicide attacks at a busy marketplace in northwest Pakistan has risen to 57, officials said on July 27.

 

AFP/Islamabad

 

Shia leaders in north-western Pakistan yesterday asked the government to legalise their private militias so they can defend themselves after a fresh attack that left 63 people dead.

The Shia district of Kurram in the tribal region, where the attack occurred, is surrounded by Sunni groups. The minority sect is frequently targeted by militants will ties to Al Qaeda.

“We want our volunteers to take lead role in security,” said Mansab Ali Bangash, a leader in the Kurram.

“We are under siege. How long can we tolerate this?” Bangash said.

Years of sectarian conflict has left more than 2,000 Shias dead, according to unofficial estimates.

Tribesmen formed the Hezbollah and Mehdi militia in Kurram in 2007. But under a peace deal in 2010, they handed control of the region to the military.

Bangash said the Shia community had no option but to revive its own security arrangements.