City shuts in mourning as bus attack victims buried

Karachi
Even though there was no call for strike, Karachi still came to a standstill on Thursday and expressed solidarity with the Ismaili community whose 45 members were gunned down on Wednesday morning in an attack claimed by the Islamic State.
The Sindh chief minister had announced to observe a day of mourning on Wednesday as all markets, shops and most of the schools remained closed and public transport too stayed off the roads.
Meanwhile, hundreds of distraught relatives lined the streets around a cemetery in Safoora Goth, passing the coffins of the men and women shot and killed a day before by four to six gunmen.
On the other hand, Karachi police chief Ghulam Qadir Thebo said that the police had rounded up several suspects and most of them were the members of banned militant outfits.
“According to initial investigations, there were six attackers,” he said. “Three went inside the bus and three remained outside. They fired with 9mm pistols and Kalashnikov rifles.”
Wednesday´s attack was the first incident in the country officially claimed by the Islamic State group, which controls swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria.
It was also claimed by local militant faction Jundullah, which reportedly pledged its allegiance to the group last year.
However, Thebo was sceptical about the claims and said the attackers seemed to be locals. “The attackers seemed to be locals and knew the area well. Maybe their handlers were from outside Pakistan,” he said.
“In a previous attack on a mosque of the Bohri community, the attackers also left a pamphlet, and investigators are trying to determine if it was the same group which struck yesterday.“
Wednesday´s attack was the second-deadliest in Pakistan this year after 62 Shiite Muslims were killed in a suicide bombing in late January.

43 victims buried
Meanwhile, 43 of the deceased were laid to rest in a graveyard situated in Sakhi Hassan area after their funeral prayers were offered in the residential complex Al-Azhar Gardens.

Two more victims passed away
Two more victims who had been injured during the attack, succumbed to their wounds on Thursday bringing the total death toll to 45, said a spokesperson for the Aga Khan community. Meanwhile, six other injured are said to be in stable condition.
In a statement issues a day after the gruesome attack, Iqbal Walji, the president of Aga Khan Council for Pakistan, expressed his gratitude to the government, Pakistan Army, political leaders, civil society and the public for their sympathies and messages of condolence.
He also acknowledged the assurance given by the authorities to ensure the safety and security of Shia Imami Ismaili Muslims residing in Pakistan.
He cited a message by His Highness the Aga Khan’s stating that the Ismailis were a peaceful global community living in harmony with other religious and ethnic groups in many countries across the world, including in the Muslim world.