A bombing in the majority Shiite town of Parachinar, near the Afghan border, has brought crowds of protesters to the streets. Angry locals say security forces are failing to protect them from Sunni extremists.
Hundreds of protesters rallied against government troops in the northwestern Pakistani town of Parachinar on Friday after an explosion ripped through a local market, wounding 18 people.
The blast took place in a mostly Shiite neighborhood on Thursday as people were out buying fruit and vegetables, officials said. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Soon after the bombing, protesters came out onto the streets and staged a sit-in in front of the local press club, where many stayed overnight, protester Ali Turi told German news agency DPA.
DW's correspondent in the provincial capital Peshawar, Mudassar Shah, said protesters hold Pakistani forces directly responsible for the violence. Many question how such attacks can happen when there is a heavy troop deployment in the area and such tight security surrounding the town, he added.
"Several elders are of the view that they have informed the government about the suspicious movements of the terrorists in the area," he said.
'Wave of violence'
Parachinar, which lies in a predominantly Shiite region near the border with Afghanistan, has repeatedly been targeted by Sunni militants in recent years. The town is surrounded by areas that were once controlled by the Taliban and that today still serve as hideouts for the group.
The Pakistani government and army have said the region has been cleared of extremists, despite continuing attacks.
Rights group Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) said it would call further protests if those behind Thursday's bombing weren't arrested.
"This new wave of violence is going on for several months. We want an end to it," PTM leader Manzoor Pashteen told DPA.
According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, this week's blast was the third such explosion in the area in as many months. DW correspondent Shah said it also came after a heavy gun battle last week between local Sunnis and Shiites vying for land.
Ali Begum, the only female candidate from the area to run in Pakistan's 2018 general elections, told DW that an attack always happens when people forget the last deadly incident.
In June 2017, the town was hit by twin blasts that killed at least 80 people and wounded more than 200 others.
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