At least two persons were killed on Tuesday in a roadside blast in the North Nazimabad area near an MQM election camp office near People's Chowrangi in the limits of Taimooria police station, prompting Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) to declare that it would observe a day of mourning all across Sindh on Wednesday. At least 13 others were injured in the explosion.
The blast was so intense that it shattered windowpanes of nearby buildings. The bodies and injured were rushed to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital. "The device, which was detonated using a timer, was planted in a green-belt near the Peoples' Chowrangi," SHO of Taimooria police station Aijaz Lodhi said. According to a Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) official, the bomb contained as much as one kilogram of explosive material and was detonated using a timer device. Hospital sources said that five of the injured persons were in a critical condition. As soon as the blast occurred, heavy contingents of law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area.
One of the deceased was identified as Saad Siddiqui while identities of others could not be ascertained till the filing of this report. DIG police Zafar Iqbal said activists of the Mutahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) were targeted, adding that they were busy hoisting party flags in the area.
Meanwhile, MQM Chief Altaf Hussain ordered his party workers to temporarily shut down all of the MQM's election offices. MQM Chief Altaf Hussain, whose party faces direct threats from Pakistani Taliban, asked how his party's voters could come out to cast their ballots in such a situation. Deploring the bomb attack on his party's election office, MQM leader Altaf Hussain expressed grief and sorrow on the killing of several MQM workers in the terrorist attack.
Drawing Chief Election Commissioner Fakhruddin G Ebrahim's attention on the killings of MQM workers, Altaf Hussain said it was the duty of the ECP and the caretaker government to maintain peace and order. He regretted that so far more than 25 MQM workers and office-bearers, including an election candidate, had fallen victim of an unending wave of terrorism.
He said that it would not be possible to hold peaceful elections in the wake of unceasing terrorist attacks. Urging all political and religious parties to condemn the attack on MQM's election office, he said that no effective measures had been taken to ward off terrorist incidents despite clear threats by terrorist elements to MQM, ANP and PPP, adding that terrorists wanted to keep these parties away from the election process. Altaf Hussain directed members of MQM's Co-ordination Committee to send details of the incident to the Election Commission in writing.