At least two persons were killed and a dozen more injured, five Rangers' personnel among them, after an improvised explosive device mounted on a motorcycle went off near an Imambargah at Abbas Town in the limits of Sachal police station. Hospital sources said that five or six of the injured were in a critical condition.
The blast occurred near the Masjid-Imambargah Al-Mustafa at around 9:15pm, during a Majlis, creating panic among people in neighbouring areas. "It was an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) hidden inside motorcycle parked outside a milk shop, adjacent to an electricity pole," said the Additional IG, Karachi.
The blast caused a power outage besides damaging windowpanes of several nearby buildings. Soon after the blast, people belonging to the Shia community took to the streets, protesting strongly against the incident. Some elements also resorted to firing, besides hurting stones at personnel of law enforcement agencies.
Following the blast, rescue personnel rushed to the spot and police cordoned off the area after dispersing the protesters. The deceased and the injured were shifted to a nearby private hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC).
Rescue officials identified the deceased as Azhar Hussian, 32, and Anwar. According to an official of the Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS), at least 4.5 kilograms of explosive material was used in the blast. He said that bomb had been hidden in a motorcycle, bearing a fake registration number (KFE-5038), adding that a remote control device had been used to detonate the explosives.
SSP CID Aslam Khan told Business Recorder that the explosive device was locally-made and contained at least four kilograms of explosive material. Citing intelligence reports, he said that secret agencies had prior information that an IED blast would occur in the city, adding that federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik had imposed a ban on motorcycle use on the 1st of Muharram, fearing similar incidents. The ban was subsequently quashed by the Chief Justice Sindh High Court. Police officials said that terrorists intended to place the bomb as close to Imambargah as possible, but easy access to the venue was blocked by barriers and heavy presence of security personnel.
High ranking police officials also visited blast side. Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Sindh formed a committee to investigate into the incident. He also directed police officials to beef up security in their respective areas.
Leaders of various political parties, including Pakistan People's Party, Pakistan-Muslim League-Nawaz, Jamaat-i-Islami, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, Awami National Party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and PML-F, have condemned the incident. The president has sought a detailed report about the incident.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik is learnt to have sought a report on the blast from the IG Sindh. Some of the injured were identified as Mudasir, Nazeer, Munawar, Hasan, Ahsanullah, Zubair, Rehmat and Asghar Shafique.
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