The Mominpura Graveyard is a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mo ...

cemetery in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, Pakistan. It is one of the oldest graveyards in Lahore, and contains over 10,000 burials according to its records. Many graves are hundreds of years old. Established by the

Qizilbash Qizilbash or Kizilbash ( az, Qızılbaş; ota, قزيل باش; fa, قزلباش, Qezelbāš; tr, Kızılbaş, lit=Red head ) were a diverse array of mainly Turkoman Shia militant groups that flourished in Iranian Azerbaijan, Anatolia, t ...

family, the cemetery is situated near the Lakshmi Chowk, opposite Empire Cinema.

History

On 11 January 1998 (8.15am PST), unidentified gunmen stormed the graveyard and opened fire on a congregation of people offering prayers. The attack, believed to be motivated by

sectarianism Sectarianism is a political or cultural conflict between two groups which are often related to the form of government which they live under. Prejudice, discrimination, or hatred can arise in these conflicts, depending on the political status quo ...

, resulted in 22 deaths and 51 injuries. Sunni militants were blamed for the massacre. The shooting was condemned by Punjab's chief minister

Shahbaz Sharif Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif (Urdu, Punjabi: , ; born 23 September 1951) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who is currently serving as the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan, in office since 11 April 2022. He is the current president of ...

as a "most heinous and inhuman act of terrorism."

Notable burials

Several notable individuals are buried here, including first home secretary of Punjab Syed Ahmad Ali, film director Qamar Zaidi,

Nasir Kazmi Nasir Raza Kazmi ( ur, was an Urdu poet from Pakistan. Kazmi was born on 8 December 1925 at Ambala, Punjab, (British India). Kazmi used simple words in his poetry, including "Chand", "Raat", "Baarish", "Mausam", "Yaad", "Tanhai", "Darya" and ...

, Sayyid Sajjad Rizvi,

Mushaf Ali Mir Air Chief Marshal Mushaf Ali Mir (Punjabi, Urdu: مصحف على مير; March 5, 1947– 20 February 2003) was an influential statesman and a four-star air force general who served as the Chief of Air Staff of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), ...

, singer

Asad Amanat Ali Khan Asad Amanat Ali Khan ( ur, ; ; 25 September 1955 – 8 April 2007) was a Pakistani classical vocalist and ''ghazal'' singer belonging to the Patiala Gharana tradition of music. In a career spanning 32 years, Khan sang over 1,000 songs for P ...

and music composer Wajahat Attre.

References

External links

* Lahore Shia Islam in Pakistan Cemeteries in Lahore {{cemetery-stub