Moharram

Officials’ goal was to protect people during the holy month of Moharram, which began in late September.

The villages near Varzaqan were hit especially hard, with many mud brick houses collapsing and trapping those inside, many of them women and children, the region’s governor, Moharram Foroughi said.

It is the only one which Mahommedanism enjoins; but the doctors of the law recommend a considerable number of voluntary fasts, as for example on the tenth day of the month Moharram.

As it fights Islamist militants, Pakistan has also been bracing for sectarian violence during Moharram, the holiest month for Shi'ite Muslims, which is under way.

Pakistani authorities are on alert for sectarian violence during Moharram, the holiest month for Shi'ite Muslims, which is currently underway.