According to sources from Prime Minister Secretariat, at least 739 people were killed and some 2,085 others were injured in terrorist attacks on religious processions and worship places since March, 2008, the time when the current Pakistani government of Pakistan people's party came into power.
Marvi Memon, member of the parliament, wrote a letter to the Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani two weeks ago about such attacks and showed her concerns over the issue. "It is government's responsibility to protect the people but clearly it has failed to do so. This dangerous wave has reduced the religious freedom indicator of Pakistan," said Memon while talking to Xinhua on Wednesday. She also stressed Gilani to ask the relevant ministers and departments to report back to the Parliament on the investigation reports of these attacks and what measures have been taken to provide security to religious places.
Official data revealed that about 47 terrorist attacks on religious worship places, gatherings and processions had been occurred during the period of last three years, the total ruling time of the current government. Most of the attacks by terrorists were materialized on the minority Shiite Muslims in this period. On Tuesday, at least 13 people were killed and 77 others were injured in a suicide attack near Shiite Muslims mourning procession in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore. In the attack, three policemen were killed, police official have confirmed. Pakistan's banned terrorist militant group Tehrik-e-Taliban claimed it was responsible for the attack.
In the year 2010, 22 religious places or gatherings were attacked which killed 346 and injured 1,013 injured throughout the country.
On May 28th, 2010, at least 93 people were killed and more than 100 injured during a gun and grenade attack on a worship place belonging to Ahmadi Community in Pakistan's eastern city Lahore. Just after 33 days, at least 40 persons were killed and 175 others injured when three suicide attackers blew themselves up inside a shrine in Lahore. In the same city on September 1st, 29 persons were killed and other 243 injured in two suicide attacks and one grenade attack on a Shiite procession.
On November 5t, militants attacked two mosques in northwestern province which left at least 68 persons dead and another 70 injured. While in other three major incidents terrorists killed 81 people and injured 250 others.
In 2009, 15 attacks took place, less than of 2010, which killed 295 and injured 722 people. The biggest incident occurred on March 27th, in which 83 persons, including 16 Security Force personnel, were killed and over 100 injured in a suicide attack on a mosque in Pakistan's northwestern Khyber Agency.
On February 5th and June 5th, at least 81 persons including 12 children were killed in tow different incident in Northwestern province Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
On December 4th, Taliban militants attacked a mosque in cantonment area of Rawalpindi city and killed 40 persons, including 17 children besides serving and retired Army officers and personnel. Only 24 days later on December 28th, a suicide bomber targeted Pakistan' s largest procession of Shiite Muslims in Karachi, killing at least 30 people and injuring more than 63 persons.
During the period between March 2008 and the end of Dec. 2008, totally 87 people were killed and 273 injured in nine terrorist attacks. In two major incidents of the year on September 10th and December 5th, at least 25 and 34 worshipers were killed respectively in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Some of the attacks were claimed by the Pakistani Taliban but some government officials have been pointing out the foreign hands behind these activities.
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