Praying Activist Shot In Muslim Fighting

Masked men shot and killed a Sunni Muslim activist while he knelt in prayer Saturday, making him the latest victim of a bloody sectarian feud in eastern Punjab province.

Fighting between Shiite and Sunni Muslims in Punjab has killed more than 60 people since January, 13 of them in the last two weeks alone.

On Saturday, gunmen burst into a mosque in the Punjab capital of Lahore, 140 miles southeast of Islamabad, killing Abdul Ghaffar of the militant Guardian of the Friends of the Prophet, police said. Two other Sunni worshipers were injured.

The shooting came less than 12 hours after gunmen killed three Shiite militants in Faisalabad, 72 miles to the south.

The Punjab government started a crackdown on militant groups last week, arresting scores of members of the Guardians of the Friends of the Prophet to try to limit violence during the Islamic holy month of Muharram.