Bomb explodes at Muslim shrine

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – A suspected suicide bomber struck Friday at a Muslim shrine close to the prime minister’s official residence and the capital’s diplomatic enclave, killing at least 20 Muslim worshippers.

After the blast, hundreds of Shiite pilgrims, beating their chests, clashed with police who charged the crowd to clear the way for ambulances. Some of the demonstrators chanted, “Down with America!”

The explosion at the Bari Imam shrine, burial place of an Islamic saint on the outskirts of Islamabad, was the latest attack on a religious gathering in Pakistan, which has a long history of violent sectarian rivalry. There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appealed for Pakistanis to unite against “religious terrorism, sectarianism and extremism.”

The government instructed all four provinces to provide more protection for places of worship.

Security was stepped up in the capital, where the top U.S. diplomat for South Asia, Christina Rocca, met with Pakistani leaders Thursday.

The bomb went off on the final day of a religious festival to honor the saint. Thousands of Sunnis and minority Shiites attend the festival each year.