Islamabad: At least 16 people were killed today in clashes between Sunnis and Shias in a Pakistani tribal town bordering Afghanistan where the latest sectarian bloodletting has left over 60 dead and nearly 150 injured.

Clashed continued for the fourth day today with members of the two sects using mortars, rockets and heavy weapons to target each other's houses and mosques in Parachinar, Kurrum tribal agency s main town which is dominated by Shias who account for only 20 per cent of the population in Pakistan.

The clashes continued despite an indefinite curfew clamped in Parachinar since Friday and the deployment of army and paramilitary forces in the area. Several homes and mosques were damaged in the fighting, residents said.

Parachinar, sometimes referred to as "little Iran" for its majority Shia population, had also witnessed sectarian violence in April, when clashes had left over 80 people dead.

The town has been tense since Thursday, when gunmen attacked a Sunni mosque and injured two persons. This provoked retaliatory attacks by Sunnis on Shias. Most of the fighting has been between members of the Shia Turi tribe and the Sunni Mengal tribe.

Source : PTI