Two killed, eight injured in Karachi blast

KARACHI: At least two people were killed and eight others wounded in a bomb blast in Karachi's Quaidabad area late on Friday night. The blast was so powerful and it could be heard miles away while it also shattered the widowpanes of the nearby buildings. According to police, besides the exploded bomb, there was another device planted nearby. Fortunately, the bomb disposal squad’s experts defused another bomb intending to target the crowd and the police. The blast occurred at a crowded place under the Quaidabad flyover where several vendors had set up their stalls and push carts located near the office of the deputy commissioner, Malir at the main Quaidabad Chowk in the limits of the Shah Latif police station. "Two locally made bombs concealed in separate lunch boxes were planted under the flyover of which one exploded with a loud bang, says Malir City DSP Ali Hassan. “But fortunately, the second bomb was recovered and defused by the experts.” The blast caused panic and fear in the locality. Contingents of police and Rangers reached the site and cordoned off the site of the blast. Rescuers from different welfare organisations shifted the victims to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.

According to the sources at JPMC, two people were brought dead. Eight injured were also brought to hospital some of whom were in critical condition. One of the deceased persons was identified as 16-year-old Pupu, son of Mushtaq while the other was 18-year-old as Ali Hassan who was a fruit vendor. The injured included Rasheed Rafiq, 18, Mushtaq Bilal, 22, Haq Nawaz, 30, Siddiq, 55 years, Arsalan Tariq 35, Allah Ditta, 25, Qamar Abbas, 28 and Shahabuddin, 26. Deceased Ali Hassan was said to be fruit vendor and was a lonely brother of seven sisters. He was the resident of Shah Latif Town

Soon after the explosion the Sindh chief minister Syed Murad Ali Shah ordered IGP Sindh Dr Syed Kaleem Imam to investigate the incident. The Additional IG Karachi Dr Amir Shaikh and other senior police officers inspected the site of the blast and supervised collection of evidence.

Following initial investigations, the police officials believe the explosion to be the handiwork of a militant outfit. “Two improvised explosive devices were planted under the flyover,” said a senior CTD officer. “A second bomb that was recovered and defused was intended to target the security officials who would reach the site of the first blast.” No one had claimed the responsibility of the bomb blast till the filing of these lines. Experts from the bomb disposal squad were also present at the site of the incident. According to the initial findings of the Bomb Disposal Squad, the IEDs weighed around 500 grams and was concealed in lunch boxes.

Various political parties including Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf also condemned the terrorist activity and expressed solidarity with the families of the victims.