DHAKA: The Pakistani government has imposed a rare curfew in the garrison city of Rawalpindi next to the capital after sectarian clashes during a Shia religious commemoration killed seven Sunni Muslims.

Shoaib Bin Aziz, an official with the government of Punjab province where Rawalpindi is located, said on Saturday that residents were ordered to stay in their homes until further notice.

Soldiers and police were patrolling the streets to enforce the curfew, reports The Straits Times.

The seven Sunnis were killed on Friday in a clash with Shias who were holding a procession to mark Ashoura, one of the sect’s most important religious occasions.

BDST: 1713 HRS, NOV 16, 2013
RoR/BSK