10 children among 23 killed in Jacobabad suicide bombing

SUKKUR: At least 23 people, including 10 children, were killed and 40 others injured when a bomber blew himself up when a Muharram procession was on its way to its destination in Jacobabad on Friday.
SSP Zafar Malik said the blast occurred at Lashari Mohallah when the mourning procession was passing by Murtaza Park.
He said it was a suicide attack, adding that a pistol had also been recovered from the scene.
Sindh Transport Minister Mumtaz Jakhrani confirmed that 23 people were killed in the blast.
However, MS Civil Hospital Altaf Waggan said they had received 15 bodies.
The death toll might rise. Volunteers reached the hospital to donate blood while an emergency was declared at all hospitals.
Sources said the nature of the blast could not be ascertained immediately.
Security forces cordoned off the area soon after the blast. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital.
The police started a search operation after cordoning off the area.
Many of the injured were in a critical condition and ferried to the Jacobabad Airbase to shift them to Karachi.
Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah had asked the airbase commander to provide air ambulances for shifting victims to Karachi. The Sindh-Balochistan border was sealed off and Rangers were deployed there.
DIG Larkana Sain Rakhio Mirani said the head and hands of the alleged suicide bomber had been recovered and sent to the forensic lab for identification.
Angry protesters thrashed a DSP and staged a protest at the DC Chowk. They also attempted to torch the office of the deputy commissioner.
The injured were also being shifted to Larkana and Sukkur.
The protesters said the blast was the result of a security lapse. They said the district administration had not provided appropriate security to the mourning processions nor did they monitor the processions through the CCTV cameras.
Protesters stopped the transport minister from entering the hospital.
Two-year-old Saba, Zahid Hussain, Amir Soomro, Ali Raza and Muhammad Ali Khoso were among the dead.
Sindh Home Minister Sohail Anwar Sial directed the rescue teams to immediately reach the site. He also directed the IGP to submit a report on the blast.
Chief Minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah condemned the attack and ordered immediate provision of medical facilities to the injured.
Reports said the Rangers rushed to Jacobabad to control the mob after the police failed.
Rangers engaged local representatives in talks to put off their demonstrations.
Meanwhile, protest demonstrations and sit-ins were observed in Sukkur, Larkana, Khairpur, Kot Diji and other parts of the country.
The protesters demanded the arrest of the killers and announced a sit-in on Saturday (today).
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid and the TNJF strongly condemned the bombing of the Muharram procession.
According to a PM House statement, the prime minister, who is in the US on a four-day official visit, expressed deep grief and sorrow over the deaths and commiserated with the bereaved families.
Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid strongly condemned the blast and the resulting loss of precious human lives.
He expressed his deep grief and sorrow over the killing of innocent people in the incident and extended his sympathies to the bereaved families.
Tehreek Nafaz Fiqh-e-Jafariya chief Agha Syed Hamid Ali Shah Moosavi condemned the bombing of the Muharram procession and said suicide attacks and terrorism could not stop the path of Hussainiyyat.
He said the Azadaran will remain peaceful and thwart every conspiracy of the enemies of Islam and Pakistan by observing Azadari Syed-us-Shuhada in a peaceful manner.