At least four people were killed and more than 56 injured in blasts in Pakistan Navy buses in two different parts of the city on Monday morning.
Pakistan Navy Doctor Nadia, Sub-Lieutenant Farooq and bus driver Ashraf were reportedly among those killed. The two buses were targeted in the Defence and Baldia areas of the city, and both explosions took place within seconds of each other.
The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack. Eyewitnesses said a bomb planted in a motorcycle parked near the College of Physicians and Surgeons in Defence Phase II went off as the navy bus was passing by, killing at least two people and injuring 37 others. The remains of the destroyed motorcycle and heaps of broken glasses were seen near the bus as security officials put pieces of the wreckage into a sack. Intelligence agencies have traced the owner of the motorcycle.
“It was a 1998 model Yamaha motorcycle, registration number KAZ-7964 and chassis number 3AH029600. The owner was identified as Kamran Qureshi, son of Shams-ud-Din Qureshi, resident of house number 272, Sector H-C-1, North Karachi. He has been arrested and this motorcycle was purchased from the owner some 15 days ago. Further investigations are underway,” a CID official said. Police officials said the bomb seemed to have been remote-controlled and contained more than 4 kilogrammes of explosive material.
Police said the second bomb, which targeted a Navy bus in Baldia Town, killing two and injuring 19 people, was also remote-controlled and hidden amongst rubbish. The bomb disposal squad defused a third bomb, planted by the road and weighing 10 kilogrammes, in Baldia Town. The attacks spread panic and spread fear in the city. Senior police official Raja Umar Khattab confirmed that both bombs were remote-controlled. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Sindh Governor Dr Ishratul Ebad have condemned the blasts.
