KARACHI - At least six people were killed and two dozen wounded in an explosion which occurred outside a mosque at Gizri locality here on Friday.
Following the end of the ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the second consecutive attack jolted the city, leaving six dead and over two dozen injured. On Thursday, Police Inspector Shafiq Tanoli was killed in a suicide attack along with three others.
The explosive device had been planted on a rickshaw parked outside a mosque at Chaudhry Khaliq-uz-Zaman Road, Clifton.
The incident occurred when the faithful were coming out of the mosque after saying Friday prayers. As a result, Sajid Elahi, 50, the prayer leader of the Dehli Colony mosque, Shahzad Ali, 30, a resident of Surjani, and four others were killed while over two dozen wounded and taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). JPMC Joint Executive Director Dr Seemin Jamali said at least four were critically injured. Emergency was declared at the hospital.
The law enforcers, personnel of rescue organisations and experts of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) rushed to the scene. The police claimed the bomb planted on a rickshaw contained 10kg explosive material and 3kg pellets.
At least a dozen vehicles were damaged in the blast. The badly hit were three vehicles, including two bearing government registration number plates.
IGP Sindh Iqbal Mehmood, while talking to newsmen, pointed out that the explosion occurred when two buses carrying worshipers were on their way from Masjid-wa-Imambargah Yasrab in Defence locality after the Friday prayers. Two passengers of one of the buses were also wounded. It is worth mentioning that buses carry worshippers for Friday prayers routinely.
A committee, headed by DIG Khalique Sheikh, has been formed to probe the incident. When contacted, DIG Shaikh said it appeared the target was the buses carrying the people to Imambargah. He observed the terrorists, affiliated with Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and TTP, had resumed their activities after the end of the ceasefire. He said the operation and raids against the terrorists would continue till the arrest of the last militant in the city.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain condemned the bomb blast and said the terrorists involved in the incident were enemies of Islam and humanity. “The militants are committing terrorist acts to destabilise Pakistan. It is a cruel joke that the government is negotiating with them instead of taking a stern action against them,” he said in a press statement. Altaf called for strict and effective action against the criminals.
MQM WORKER, COP GUNNED DOWN: A police officer and a worker of a political party were gunned down in separate incidents of target killing Friday night.
The in-charge of Al-Asif Square police post of Sohrab Goth police station was shot dead on Super Highway. Police officials said Sub Inspector Javed Malik was on his way to the police post on his motorcycle when two armed motorcyclists opened fire, killing him instantly. His body was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for postmortem.
In another incident, a worker Muttahida Qaumi Movement, identified as Faisal Rehman aka Kallan was shot dead in the limits of Shara-e-Faisal police station. According to police, the deceased was playing carom at a shop near his residence when two armed men on a motorcycle shot him dead. His body was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre for autopsy.