Sindh athlete injured in blast

KARACHI - Sajjad, a member of Sindh judo team was injured in the bomb blast that occurred at the main gate of the Qayyum Stadium Tuesday afternoon shortly after the closing ceremony of the three day Inter-provincial Games had concluded, the secretary of Sindh Olympic Association Ahmed Ali, an official of the Sindh contingent informed on query. When contacted, Ahmed Ali said the judokas who come from Hyderabad was slightly injured and was taken for treatment to the hospital where other injured and dead were brought. He said officials of NWFP Olympic committee and NWFP sports minister Aqil Shah were present at the hospital to help the injured athletes and member of public and oversee their treatment. Ahmed Ali said all other sportsmen of 302 member Sindh contingent were safe. Only Sajjad was unfortunately injured, he said. According to information available here an alleged suicide bomber blew him up at the main gate of the stadium shortly after the closing ceremony of the three day had concluded and people were exiting from the gate when the blast occurred. The number of dead and injured in the blast could not be confirmed but it is reported that one person died and an unspecified number were injured in the blast. This is first time in the sports history of Pakistan that a sports venue and sportsmen were targeted by a suicide bomber. The blast occurred a day after India cancelled a hockey tour of Indian junior team hours before it was to cross over into Pakistan to play the planned five match series against host Pakistan. Indian foreign office had cited security concerns as the reason  to call off the tour which would have taken the Indian juniors to Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Sialkot.

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