5 more dead as PPP, MQM are targeted by terrorists

As the elections are just 13 days away, terrorists seem to have geared up their efforts to destabilise the first democratic transition of government in the country with three back-to-back bombings targeting two political parties in Karachi and two election candidates in Sibi and North Waziristan Agency, killing at least five people and leaving several others seriously injured.

At least three people were killed and more than 20 others injured when terrorists targeted a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) corner meeting in the Kumharwada area of Lyari. Police sources said that the bomb had been fixed to a motorcycle and was remotely detonated.

A woman was reportedly among the three killed in the incident while PPP candidates Uzair Jan Baloch and Adnan Baloch were among those injured. Uzair Baloch is the leader of the People’s Amn Committee and a prominent figure of the Lyari gang war. He is contesting on a National Assembly seat from Lyari.

MQM BOMBINGS

A few hours earlier, a car bomb was remotely detonated near a unit office of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) in Orangi Town’s Qasba Colony area, leaving two people dead and over 30 others injured.

Seconds later another bomb exploded near an imambargah in the same area, injuring several people.

According to sources, Ali Imambargah and Darul Ahad Masjid are located close to the MQM unit office. They said that the MQM unit office was closed at the time of the blasts making it unclear at this point of time what was the terrorists’ target.

DIG West Zafar Abbas Bukhari said that the first blast was carried out with explosives planted in a pick-up truck, while the second one was an improvised explosive device (IED) containing ball bearings. Eyewitnesses said the device was hurled by a man on a motorcycle. The blasts occurred nearly 15 minutes after Qasba Colony lost electricity, according to another eyewitness.

DIG Bukhari said that the law and order situation had deteriorated to such an extent that summoning the army seemed to be the only option left to ensure security during the elections.

A high-level meeting was also hurriedly summoned at the Rangers Headquarters to discuss the worsening law and order situation and changing modus operandi of terrorists.

Meanwhile, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement has given another call for strike today (Sunday), urging traders and transporters to join the party in mourning the loss of lives in incessant incidents of terrorism.

This is the fifth such incident of the week in Karachi. One blast targeted the Awami National Party (ANP), while the other three targeted MQM’s election offices.

The Taliban have directly threatened the three main parties in the outgoing government, the PPP, MQM and ANP, which are often described as secular.

ATTACK ON JI OFFICE IN SIBI

In other incidents of pre-poll violence, at least four people were injured when suspected militants lobbed a hand grenade at an election office of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) in Sibi area of Balochistan.

A police official said that two militants riding a motorcycle threw a hand grenade in the election office of JI candidate for PB-21 Mumtaz Nazar Abro on Jinnah Road. The blast damaged the office and left four people injured, he added.

BLAST IN NORTH WAZIRISTAN

Meanwhile, a bomb explosion destroyed the election office of an independent candidate in North Waziristan Agency.

The timed device went off near the office of Aqal Khan but there was no report of any casualty or injury as the office was empty at the time of the attack. The explosion also damaged several nearby shops.