Four people were killed and several others sustained injuries when a bomb ripped through a crowded imam bargah in Karachi’s Abbas Town on Sunday night. The blast took place just outside the gate of the facility, when a large number of Shia mourners had gathered for Muharram rituals.
The explosion was also followed by intermittent firing. The injured included five personnel of Pakistan Rangers deployed in the area for security purposes, with one said to be in critical condition.
Police said the bomb had been planted to motorcycle parked outside a shop near the front gate of the imam bargah.
The explosion also caused a high-tension electricity pole to fall, causing a blackout in the area and hampering rescue and evacuation activities. Per details, a Muharramul Haram congregation was underway in the imam bargah Mustapha when the bomb went off. Soon after the blast, rescue personnel rushed to the site and evacuated the injured and dead. Those critically injured were rushed to nearby hospitals, including Patel Hospital, Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, Agha Khan Hospital and Liaquat National Hospital.
At the crime scene, mourners resisted police and rangers’ attempts to go inside and investigate the matter. The people blame the law enforcement agencies of late response.
After the incident, a large number of people came on to the roads and staged a protest against the bombing. They also went on a rampage, damaging shops, vehicles and pelting stones on security vehicles. Three vehicles had been set ablaze by the time this report was filed.
Tension gripped various areas of the city, including Ancholi, Yousuf Plaza, Landhi, Korangi, Jaffer Tayar Society and others, while aerial firing was also reported in several areas.
Earlier, intelligence agencies had declared the area sensitive in their reports and law enforcement agencies had made security arrangement s for safety of the area.
Central Investigation Department SSP Chaudhry Aslam confirmed the bomb was an improvised explosive device (IED).
“A remote control device was used to detonate the improvised explosive device”, he added.
Chaudhry said the security measures had been foolproof and he would only comment further after initial investigation, adding that police was collecting evidence from the crime scene.
According to witnesses, the powerful explosion shattered the windowpanes of the nearby buildings. President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, ANP’s Shahi Syed, MQM chief Altaf Hussain, Sindh Governor Ishratul Ebad Khan and Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah condemned the blast. The president ordered and inquiry into the matter, while Interior Minister Rehman Malik sought a report on the incident from the Sindh IG. Sindh IGP Fayyaz Ahmed Leghari constituted a team of senior officers to investigate into the matter.
A spokesman said the investigation team would be headed by Additional IG Iqbal Mahmood and would include DIG East Shahid Hayat, DIG CIA Manzoor Mughal, CIA SPP Chaudhry Aslam, SIU SSP Farooq Awan and SSP Rao Anwar.
4 killed in karachi imam bargah attack
