At least 37 people were killed in an explosion in a World Qods Day rally held by Shi'ite Muslims in Pakistan's Quetta city, according to a Pakistani television channel.
Some other media reports put the death toll at 43.
The website of the ARY News channel reported that at least 70 people were also wounded in the incident on Friday. Quetta is the capital of Pakistan's Baluchistan province.
World Qods Day is marked on the last Friday of the fasting month of Ramadan. The Iran-backed event is held to oppose Israel's control of Jerusalem.
The sounds of fire were also heard after the blast, the report added.
The Sunni jihadist groups in Pakistan have attacked Shi'ite Muslims in recent decades. A rally taken out by Shi'ite Muslims on September 1 in Lahore was attacked by three suicide bombers, killing dozens of people.
The Al-Qaeda-linked Sunni jihadist organizations do not consider Shi'ites as Muslims.
Source: www.arynews.com, Pakistan, September 3, 2010
