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Security tight at mosques after blasts

Pakistan barred major gatherings and sent police to guard mosques yesterday after two devastating attacks killed 70 people within a week in suspected sectarian attacks -- raising concern this key US anti-terror ally might witness a spiral of bloodshed.

The ban applied to both political and religious gatherings, but yesterday's prayers at mosques were exempt, and hundreds of additional police were deployed outside places of worship to head off any new violence.

"We are beefing up security to ensure the safety of all citizens," Interior Minister Aftab Khan Sherpao told reporters. He did not say how long the ban would last. The killing of a top Pakistani al-Qaeda operative by security forces late last month appears to have spawned a bout of sectarian violence by rival Sunni and Shiite militant groups, despite government claims it is beating terrorism.

"I am scared now. How can I send my children to the mosque?'' said Ishaq Chaudhry, 42, a grocery store owner in the city of Multan, near where a pre-dawn car bombing on Thursday left 39 people dead and more than 100 wounded.

The interior minister said yesterday there had been "some progress" in the investigation into that bombing, as well as into the Oct. 1 suicide attack on a Shiite mosque in the eastern city of Sialkot, which left 31 dead.

Security was also was tight in other cities, including the capital, Islamabad, Karachi and elsewhere.
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