Eight dead in Pakistan sectarian clashes

At least eight people were killed and a further 44 were injured in sectarian clashes between Shia and Sunni Muslims in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.

Clashes broke out during a Shia Muslim religious procession marking Ashoura, an annual Shia day of mourning to marks the death of Imam Hussein, a grandson of Prophet Muhammed.

Tempers flared when a Shia Muslim procession passed a Sunni Muslim seminary, where several people were shouting insults at the passing mourners.

A local police officer said that after hearing the insults, some marchers dragged a number of people out of the seminary and killed them.

The two sides threw stones at each other in the ensuing clashes, injuring more than 40 people in the process. Dozens of shops adjacent to the seminar were set on fire.

"So far we can confirm the death of eight people from the violence. We received a total of 44 injured people and 13 of them had gunshot wounds," a doctor told a local news agency.

In light of the clashes the Pakistani government has imposed a rare curfew in the garrison city of Rawalpindi.

Residents have been ordered to stay indoors until midnight on Sunday while soldiers and police has been patrolling the streets to enforce the measure in the city.

Soldiers and police were patrolling the streets to enforce the measure in the city, which neighbours Islamabad, the Pakistani capital.

Attacks on Pakistan's Shia, who make up about a fifth of the 180 million population, have worsened in recent years.

Hundreds of Shia Muslims were killed in bombings and other attacks last year, including children shot on their way to school and doctors heading for work.