Violence after Karachi shrine bombing kills eight
Police stepped up patrols in Karachi today to try to prevent renewed violence after angry mobs rampaged through the city in the aftermath of a suicide attack on a Sufi shrine that left eight dead and 65 injured.
The attack by two suicide bombers on the most beloved Sufi shrine in Pakistan’s largest city was a stark reminder of the threat posed by Islamist militants to this US-allied nation.
Mobs took to the streets after the attack on Thursday evening, firing weapons, setting tyres on fire and torching at least two buses.
The city of more than 16 million was quiet early today, as most traffic remained off the road to avoid new possible outbursts of violence.
Police chief Azad Khan said he had increased patrols to keep the peace, while a team of senior investigators had been sent to the scene of the attack to investigate.
The Abdullah Shah Ghazi shrine was attacked at the busiest time of the week when thousands visit to pray, distribute food to the poor and toss rose petals on the grave of the saint.
One bomb went off as the suspected attacker was going through the metal detector before a long staircase leading to the main shrine area, said Babar Khattak, the senior police official in Sindh province. A second blast followed 10 seconds later, farther ahead of the metal detector, he said.
Two children were among the dead.
Pakistan is 95% Muslim, and the majority practise Sufi-influenced Islam, whose more mystical practices are rejected by the Taliban and allied Islamic extremists, making Sufi sites a frequent target of militant groups.
In July, suicide bombers in the eastern city of Lahore attacked Data Darbar, Pakistan’s most revered Sufi shrine, killing 47 people and wounding 180.
That attack infuriated many Pakistanis who saw it as an unjustified assault on peaceful civilians. In the aftermath, even amid fury against militants, many also blamed the US presence in Afghanistan for fuelling Islamist violence in their nation.
After Thursday’s attack, condemnations poured in from across Pakistan, including from President Asif Ali Zardari, who was staying in the city at the time, and the US Embassy in Islamabad.
