Media Nusantara: [inti-net] Deadly bomb rocks Shias bus in Karachi; two killed, 18 injured

Sabtu, 18 Agustus 2012

[inti-net] Deadly bomb rocks Shias bus in Karachi; two killed, 18 injured

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2012\08\18\story_18-8-2012_pg1_2

Saturday, August 18, 2012

Deadly bomb rocks Shias bus in Karachi; two killed, 18 injured

* Bomb strikes a bus taking Shias to a rally being held to mark Youm-e-Quds

* Police say unidentified persons also opened fire before and after bomb blast near another bus

By Danish Rafique

KARACHI: Two people lost their lives and 18 others sustained injuries on Friday after a roadside bomb went off when participants were on their way to Youm-e-Quds rally near Safari Park on University Road.

Deputy Inspector General (East) Shahid Hayat said that the bombing occurred at around 3:15pm when a vehicle JA-8210 carrying a large number of participants reached near the park. As a result, 20 people received injuries. The injured were rushed to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). Two injured, Manzoor Hussain and Imtiaz Ali, succumbed to their injuries. The injured include Abdul Wahid, Mehdi Hassan, Ashraf Hussain, Ali Haider, Abdul Qadir, Nizamuddin, Rahat, Murtaza Kazmi and Minhaj. Doctors said three injured were in a critical condition.

The Youm-e-Quds rally is taken out every year on the last Friday of Ramazan. The rally was scheduled to begin from Numaish Chowrangi and conclude at Tibet Centre. The bomb also caused damage to the wall of the park and two vehicles.

Following the explosion, heavy contingents of law enforcers and volunteers from various welfare associations reached the site and shifted the victims to various hospitals.

The Bomb Disposal Squad officials believed that such bombs were used to target the Rangers personnel in the recent days in the city, adding that the bomb contained two-and-a-half kg of explosive. They said that it was a remote-controlled device and was also carrying ball bearings.

Police investigators suspected the involvement of militant organisations, especially the outlawed Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, in the incident.

A large number of Imamia Students Organisation volunteers gathered at Numaish Chowrangi and staged a sit-in to protest against the incident. They also shouted slogans against the government and law enforcers for not providing enough security to the participants of the rally. The protesters also burnt tyres and blocked the road for traffic for hours. Karachi Commissioner Roshan Ali Sheikh said it was a planted device.

Police said that some unidentified people also opened fire before and after the bomb blast near a bus, carrying students from the Karachi University.

"A low-intensity bomb planted near a bus stand in Gulistan-e-Jauhar neighbourhood exploded and hit a car and a bus," senior police official Shahid Hayat told AFP.

"The bomb killed a man in the car and injured 11 others, most of whom were bus passengers," Hayat said.

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