KARACHI, Pakistan, March 5, (AP): Gunmen shot and killed two people returning from a funeral Monday for Shiite Muslim victims of a massive bombing in Karachi, highlighting escalating sectarian tensions in a city where 48 people were killed the day before.

The bomb exploded Sunday evening as people were leaving a mosque, and underlined the increasing threat Shiites face as Sunni militant groups target them in ever-bolder attacks. There was no immediate claim of responsibility but Sunni militant groups who do not consider Shiites to be true Muslims have carried out such attacks in the past.

Thousands of Shiite Muslims turned out Monday to bury their dead and demanded government protection from militant groups. Some of those attending the funeral set fire to buses in one Karachi neighborhood as they went to the cemetery, said police official Qamar Ahmad.

When they moved through the same area after the funeral, gunmen opened fire on the group and wounded several protesters, he said. Two of the men died and 13 were wounded, said Dr Saleem Memon, who works at the hospital where the wounded were taken.

The Sohrab Goth neighborhood where the shooting occurred is home to many ethnic Pashtuns who traditionally live in northwestern Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.

Over the years, many have migrated to the port city of Karachi. Security officials in Karachi have raised concerns that members of the Taliban — also predominantly Pashtun — are taking advantage of the large Pashtun community to hide themselves in Karachi and establish a foothold there.
Dr Jalil Qadir, a Pakistani surgeon, said 48 people were killed and at least 200 wounded in the Sunday attack.

Thousands of people thronged a main road in Karachi Monday for the funeral service. Many beat their chests and heads and chanted “Stop the brutal attacks!” They called on the government to take action against militant groups responsible for the attacks.

“Terrorists are killing us everywhere, but the state is nowhere to be seen,” said Intizar Hussain, whose father died in the bombing. It was the third mass casualty attack since the beginning of the year against Shiites. The first two killed nearly 200 people in the southwestern city of Quetta. Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, a Sunni militant group known for its virulent hatred of Shiite Muslims, claimed responsibility for the two attacks.