ISLAMABAD: The bomb attack on a Shia mosque on March 4 in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has once again thrown light on the plight of Pakistan's minority communities.
More than 60 civilians were killed and another 200 injured in the blast, Just Earth News reported citing ISIS of Khorasan faction, based in Afghanistan.
The impact of the bombing was such that nearly every house in the locality of Imambargah and nearby street has one or two members of their family either dead or wounded.
This attack has led to strong criticism from different countries. The office of the Supreme Religious Authority in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, and other Iraqi leaders denounced the incident and urged the Pakistani government to take steps to protect the Shia community.
Shias comprise nearly 20 per cent of Pakistan's population and are the target of violence by Sunni Islamist militant groups, including the Pakistani Taliban or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan.
Shias are mostly excluded from positions of power. Doctors, businessmen and other professionals have been targeted in Karachi by Sunni terrorists on a regular basis.
According to one estimate, over 1,900 Shias were killed in bomb blasts or targeted gun attacks from 2012 to May 2015 alone.