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ISLAMABAD, Dec 2: Interior Minister Aftab Ahmed Khan Sherpao informed the Senate on Thursday that a total of 155 people were killed and 651 injured in 231 incidents of sectarian clashes during 2001 to 2003.
In a written reply to a question of Senator Dr Mohammad Said, the interior minister also gave a province-wise break-up of the sectarian-related incidents in the country.
The data shows that highest number of 83 incidents were reported in Sindh, followed by 69 in Balochistan, 42 in Punjab, 32 in NWFP, two in Islamabad, two in Northern Areas and one in Azad Kashmir.
It shows that 72 people were killed and 298 injured in 42 sectarian-related incidents in the Punjab in three years. As many as 56 people were killed and 200 injured in 83 such incidents in Sindh, 11 killed and 57 injured in 32 incidents in NWFP, 10 killed and 41 injured in two incidents in the federal capital, six killed and 50 injured in 69 incidents in Balochistan while only five people were injured in three incidents in Northern Areas and Azad Kashmir.
The highest number of 89 sectarian incidents were reported in the country in the year 2003 in which 34 people were killed and 152 were injured. In 2002, there were 56 such incidents and in 2001 the number of such incidents was 86.
Though the number of sectarian incidents was lowest in the year 2002, the number of those killed and injured was highest in the same year when 102 people died and 312 were wounded.
KILLING OF CHINESE IN GWADAR: In response to a question of MMA Senator Dr Mohammad Ismail Buledi, the interior minister also placed the report of detailed inquiry into the Gwadar incident in which three Chinese were killed in a terrorist attack.
The report says, "On May 3, 2004, when a Hiace van carrying 12 Chinese from Fish Harbour reached a hotel, a huge explosion took place in a car parked on the left side of the road. The explosion hit the vehicle in the centre killing three Chinese on the spot. The remaining nine Chinese with a local driver and a police gunman were injured.
"Investigation revealed that the explosion was caused by a remote control device and the suspect vehicle had at least 10 kilogramms high explosive. In addition to this, two gas cylinders were also placed inside the vehicle to make the blast more effective.
"From the debris of the suspect vehicle, engine number and chassis number were traced and the record revealed that the vehicle was stolen from Karachi in 1995. Two investigation teams, one headed by the superintendent police of the Central Investigation Department (CID) and the other by the district police officer, Gwadar, were constituted to trace the culprits involved in the incident.
The teams have traced down the culprits involved in this gory incident and they have confessed to their involvement in the plot to blow up the Chinese engineers and technicians."
