Abdul Qayyum Changezi, a senior Shia leader and

representative of the Quetta Yakjehti Council, said the mass funeral began after the families of the victims gave their permission to bury the dead. During a dialogue between the government and the Hazara leaders, it was agreed that the army would conduct a "targeted operation" against banned groups targeting Shias in Quetta, he said. A large contingent of law enforcement personnel was deployed in and around the Hazara graveyard as tensions were running high. Saturday's bomb attack in the Shia-dominated Hazara Town was the second major attack on the minority community in Quetta in five weeks. As Shia Hazaras refused to bury their dead, protests erupted across the country and parts of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore were shut down. Shia leaders agreed to end the protest in Quetta after meeting a parliamentary delegation led by Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, who said security forces had launched a "targeted operation" and detained 170 suspects. Officials said four members of the banned Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, which claimed responsibility for the attacks on the Shias, had been gunned down by the security forces. Shias, who make up 20 per cent of Pakistan's population of 180 million, have been repeatedly attacked by the LeJ in Quetta and other parts of Balochistan. Hundreds have been killed in these attacks.