Pro-Taliban Cleric Killed in Pakistan

Police stepped up security patrols Monday while Islamic hard-liners called for a nationwide strike after a leading pro-Taliban cleric was gunned down, touching off massive rioting by his followers.

The situation was tense but there was no immediate outbreak of violence following a day of unrest that saw police fire tear gas and warning shots to disperse rioters who set fire to banks, shops, a police station and a KFC fast-food restaurant.

Police formed a special task force to investigate the slaying of Nazamuddin Shamzai, a cleric in his 70s who had been a strong supporter of the former Taliban regime in neighboring Afghanistan and had met al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden.




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http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4151576,00.html

Monday, May 31, 2004 Posted: 4:22 AM EDT (0822 GMT)
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (CNN) -- Police in Pakistan have stepped up security patrols following massive rioting sparked by the gunning down of a leading pro-Taliban cleric in Karachi on Sunday.

Islamic hard-liners have called for a nationwide strike after the slaying of Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai by unknown assailants.

Shamzai -- a well-known Islamic scholar known for his preaching against American foreign policy -- was in a vehicle outside his home when a group of gunmen opened fire.
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The motive of the attack is not clear. But it prompted an angry mob to set fire to several buildings in downtown Karachi while others threw stones at Pakistani forces.

Paramilitary police fired on protesters, wounding one person, police said.
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http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/05/31/pakistan.cleric