Bomb blast injures 15 at Islamabad shrine

ISLAMABAD - A low-intensity bomb on Friday night exploded in the middle of the tomb of a famous saint, Nangay Sarkar, in the suburban area of Islamabad, in the jurisdiction of Chak Shahzad police, leaving 15 people injured.
“At least 15 devotees were injured when a low-intensity bomb exploded before midnight,” an ICT police public relation officer told reporters at the scene of the incident.
Despite claims of high-security alert, terrorists managed to continue with their terror activities, which is a question mark on preparedness of the law-enforcement agencies to cope with expected reaction of Taliban over the North Waziristan operation, many people said, talking to this scribe.
The shrine is situated at Pindoriaan, a village located at a distance of about two kilometres from Musharraf’s farmhouse. At least 250 devotees were present in the shrine when the bomb exploded. Police believe a four-kg explosive had been placed in a tin box just beneath a cot (a traditional wooden bed commonly used in the countryside).
The residents who spoke to this correspondent at the site of the blast said they had never seen any patrolling van or police mobile in the area. “We have never seen any police mobile or patrolling van in our area. This is why the terrorists easily managed to plant a bomb here,” Muhammad Ehsanullah, 43, a teacher by profession, told this scribe.
Soon after the incident, rangers and Islamabad police cordoned off the area and started a search operation. They could only clear the area after half an hour. Though a thorough search operation was ordered by the inspector general of police following the incident, no arrest has so far been made.

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