Islamabad - Gunmen using hand grenades and automatic weapons killed 12 Shi'ites praying in a rural mosque in the runup to one of the most sacred days in the Shia calendar, police and local residents said on Wednesday.
They said an unknown number of assailants cut telephone lines to the village of Mallow Wali, some 120km south of Islamabad and threw grenades into the mosque before spraying the congregation with automatic rifle fire.
The village is the birthplace of Alama Sajid Naqvi, head of the Figahi-i-Jaffri Shia religious organisation, residents said.
Eight people were critically wounded in the attack, police said.
The killing took place days before the weekend anniversary of Muharram, when Shi'ites mark the death of the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
Pakistan's military ruler, General Pervaz Musharraf, has called for an end to sectarian violence in Pakistan between the Sunni majority and Shi'ite minority. - Reuters