A teenaged suicide bomber blew himself up in a gathering of mourners at Imam Bargah in congested Mohalla Jhangi at the back of historic Qissa Khwani killing ten mourners and injuring 25 others. Waqar Hussain, Mutawalli (Caretaker) of Imam Bargah, cop Alamdar and Syed Shiraz Hussain were among the dead.
The injured also included five children, women, two lady police constables. According to eyewitnesses, a man in black dress aged around 18 blew himself up at the main gate of Imam Bargah Mirza Qasim Baig while trying to get close to the Zaakir (preacher).
The bomber also fired bullets before exploding himself up in a gathering of the mourners. The blast occurred a the male portion of the Imam Bargah. Mohallah Jangi is the hub of printing presses industries and always remains overcrowded with people. The injured were being shifted to Hayatabad Medical Complex, Lady Reading Hospital and Khyber Teaching Hospital.
Emergency has been declared at all the major hospitals of the district. The injured also included a lady police constable and two other women officials. The local people took out a protest procession against the police for their failure to nab the bomber.
The local police was asked to remain out of the Imam Bargah premises by the mourners. There was also a report of a power breakdown in the vicinity after the blast. Additional police force was called in to control the situation. The police cordoned off the entire area. The mourners also took out a protest procession, which marched towards Khyber Bazar. The blast occurred close to Kabuli Police Station.
It may be mentioned here that on 7th of Muharram last year exactly at the same time and close to the present venue a bomber had exploded himself up before the mourners procession, and has killed seventeen persons including the then Chief of Capital City Police Malik Muhammad Saad Shaheed, DSP City Khan Raziq, and two nazims and a naib nazims of the union councils Nauthia Jadeed and Ander Shehr.