Gunmen on Thursday pulled 25 Shiites from a bus and shot them dead in north Pakistan, the third such incident in six months, an official said.
The incident happened in the district of Mansehra as the bus was travelling between Rawalpindi and Gilgit.
Officials said it was ambushed in the hills of Babusar Top, around 100 miles (160 kilometres) north of the capital Islamabad.
“Ten to 12 people wearing army uniform stopped the bus and forced some people off the bus,” said Khalid Omarzai, administration chief in Mansehra.
“After checking their papers, they opened fire and at least 25 people are reported to have been killed. This is initial information and the final toll may go up. They are all Shiites,” he said.
Local police official Shafiq Gul told AFP that the gunmen were masked, but said the victims were pulled from three separate vehicles.
Sectarian violence linked to Gilgit, a popular tourist destination for wealthy Pakistanis and expatriates who live in the country, has increased in recent months.
On February 28, gunmen in military fatigues hauled 18 Shiite Muslim men off buses travelling from Rawalpindi to Gilgit in the northern district of Kohistan, shooting them dead in cold blood.
On April 3, a Sunni Muslim mob dragged nine Shiite Muslims from buses and also shot them dead in the town of Chilas, about 60 miles south of Gilgit.