Three major cities of the country were rattled by deadly blasts on Wednesday. The deadliest blast targeted a Muharram procession in Rawalpindi, resulting in the death of ten and injuries to more than 25 people. Five including four soldiers, were killed and more than 20 injured in a blast in Quetta. At least three people were killed and 18 injured in Karachi's twin blasts.
---- Rawalpindi: 10 killed, more than 25 injured
---- Quetta: 5 killed, more than 20 injured
---- Karachi: Three killed, more than 18 injured
BR Reporter from Rawalpindi adds: At least 10 people were killed and more than twenty five others injured when an apparent suicide attack took place in a procession outside an Imambargah in Dhok Syedaan. The blast occurred around 11:30 pm near Qasr-e-Shabbir Imambargah. Soon after the blast, rescue teams, police and other law enforcement agencies rushed to the blast site and cordoned off the area and shifted the injured to nearby hospitals including Combined Military Hospital, Military Hospital, District Headquarters Hospital, Rawalpindi General Hospital. The blast also caused a blackout in the area.
A police official said that the death toll was feared to increase, as some of the injured are in critical condition. He said that police have surrounded the area and started collection of evidences. The blast sound was heard kilometres away. The blast was so powerful that it badly damaged nearby buildings and vehicles parked in the nearby areas. A majlis was under way in the Imambargah when the blast occurred. Emergency has been declared in the hospitals.
Police sources said that the bomber entered the procession and exploded him. Police also recovered hand grenade from the site of the blast, they said. An eyewitness, Imran Khan, who lives close to Imambargah, said that he heard a big bang at 11:30 "As I walked out, I saw human flesh and blood at the site, " he said, adding that the blast shattered his home window-panes.
QUETTA: A bomb tore through an army vehicle escorting children home from school on Wednesday, killing four soldiers and a woman in Quetta, police said. The attack also wounded more than 20 people. In Karachi's Orangi Town neighbourhood, three people were killed while 18 injured in twin bomb blasts.
"The target was an army vehicle which was escorting a school bus carrying children of local army officers from different schools," Quetta city police chief Hamid Shakeel told AFP. He said four soldiers and a woman were killed when the bomb, planted on a motorcycle, was detonated by remote control.
"Twenty-one people were wounded in the blast, including three soldiers. Eighteen are civilians. Six or seven of them are in a serious condition," Shakeel said. Witnesses said the motorbike appeared to have been parked near shops to avoid any suspicion in the Shahbaz Town neighbourhood near some of the most prestigious private schools in Quetta. "I was returning to my shop after saying prayers in a nearby mosque," said shopkeeper Mohammad Talib, 45.
"Soon after, I heard a huge blast. There was dust and smoke. I saw an army vehicle in flames. Shards of glass were littered on the road. There was panic, people were screaming, others were fleeing the area." Fruit vendor Abdul Karim, 30, said the army vehicle took the same route every day after school. "After some time police and FC (Frontier Corps) troops arrived. They fired in the air to scare people away. Soon shops were closed and people emptied the area." There was no immediate claim of responsibility for Wednesday's attack.
BR Reporter adds from Karachi: As many as three persons were killed while 20 others sustained injuries in twin blasts near an Imam Bargah in Orangi Town (Pony Paanch) in the limits of Pirabad police station on Wednesday.
According to DSP Orangi Town, Rustom Nawaz, the first blast occurred when an alleged suicide bomber while trying to enter with his explosive-laden bike (KDA-4778) in the Imam Bargah rammed into a rickshaw (D-83375), accidentally on Wednesday evening, leaving three persons killed and seven others injured. Following the incident, the law enforcers, investigators, rescuers of different organisations and experts of Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) rushed to the spot and started rescue work. They cordoned off the area to collect forensic evidences from the crime scene.
Astonishingly, after clearance of the blast site by the BDS experts and law enforcement agencies, the second bomb, which was planted outside a shop near the first blast site, went off just 30 minutes after the first blast, leaving 13 persons injured. DSP Rustom said the first was high in intensity while the second blast was comparatively low. Talking to Business Recorder, the investigator said that as per registration plate, supposed to be fake like Abbas Town blast, the bike, having engine no AH-014580, was released in 2007 on instalment from a showroom 'Ashi Enterprises' owned by Nazir Mirza. To a question, he said the bike might have been snatched from some unknown place but no police station has so far reported having its snatching report.
The BDS officials claimed that both bombs contained same explosive material that was used in Abbas Town blast. They said that both the bombs, which were locally made, were not more than 4kgs in weight. The second bomb was stuffed in a cement block planted near a shop and was detonated through a remote control device. The bodies and the injured persons were shifted to Qatar and Abbasi Shaheed hospitals for legal formalities and treatment.
The deceased were identified as Arshad, Arsalan and an alleged suicide bomber while the injured persons were Abid, Mujahid, Ahmad Raza, Hassan Ali, Saleem, Mushtaq, Haider, private TV channel reporter Kiran Khan, Shafay, Sikandar, Muhammad Ali, a 2-year-old boy Shafi and others. DIG West Javeed Odho said three persons were killed while 20 others sustained injuries in the twin blasts. He said the deceased Arshad was a passer-by while Arsalan used to run oil business.
To a question, he said it was premature to say anything about anyone's involvement in the blasts, saying that nobody has so far claimed the responsibility of these blasts. "Investigation is underway to ascertain the facts," he maintained. A photo-journalist, Saqib, who was traumatised in the blasts, died during treatment at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). His Namaz-e-Janaza will be held at Jama Masjid Aqsa, Shafiq Mor, Power House, Samanabad Block-19 after Namaz-e-Jauhar today(Thursday). Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Jamat-e-Islami (JI) condemned the blasts. Meanwhile, Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen (MWM) while condemning the blasts demanded that army be called in the city during Ashura.