One killed, 20 hurt in Karachi Imambargah attack

KARACHI: Unidentified terrorists lobbed a cracker at an Imambargah in District Central where a majlis was being held, killing a teenage boy and wounding 20 others. Faraz Bashir, 13, was killed and 20 others were injured in the blast outside Dar-e-Abbas Imambargah in the FC Area, Liaquatabad, late on Monday night.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muqadas Haider of District Central said that acting on information police and personnel of other law enforcing departments rushed to the spot and with the help of rescue teams shifted the injured to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital and cordoned off the crime scene.

During the investigations, it was found that a majlis was underway at Dar-e-Abbas Imambargah and due to loadshedding in the area some participants of the majlis, including women and children, were sitting outside the Imambargah.

Taking advantage of darkness in the area, terrorists whowere riding a motorcycle came there and after lobbing a cracker sped away from the spot. In the explosion, 21 people, including women and children, were injured. They were evacuated to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where 13-year-old Faraz Bashir succumed to his wounds while being treated.

The injured were identified as Syed Nawab, Syed Shamim Raza, Muhammad Raza, Salma d/o Muhammad, Jamila Manzoor d/o Khursheed, Ghosia Hyder d/o Waseem Hyder, Shamim d/o Subhan, Faiza d/o Ayub, Muskan d/o Ali Abbas 9/10years, Khursheed Bano d/o Jamshed Ali 40yrs, Maryam 28/30years, Umair Safdar, Ibn e Aal Zada 55/60years (critical injured), Zameer Ali, Ali 8years, Maisam Abbas 8yrs, Kashif Ashraf 22years.

Later, staff of the bomb disposal squad and forensic experts reached the spot and collected evidence for investigation. The BDS staffers in their initial report said the explosion was caused by a cracker, which was locally-made and contained ball bearings.

The CCTV camera footage from the adjoining areas would be checked and could be helpful in catching the criminals, investigators said. The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sindh, A D Khowaja, taking notice of the blast, sought a detailed report from DIG West Zulfiqar Larik. Moreover, the IGP also issued directions to the SSP Central to gather evidence from the crime scene for forensic examination and ensure the arrest of the culprits involved.