Three parcel bombs explode in Karachi

Three of eight small parcel bombs exploded in rapid succession in high security government buildings in the restive port city of Karachi yesterday, injuring at least nine people, mostly police officials.

The terrorists sent two small bombs packed as books in separate parcels to senior police officials at the Crime Investigative Department, police said.

The first parcel exploded wounding Superintendent of police Zulfikar Junejo and his deputy Fayaz Ahmed, said Inspector General of Sindh Police Syed Kamal Shah.

The bomb disposal squad defused the second parcel containing explosives, he told Gulf News.

The two officers wounded in the explosion had been in the forefront in crackdown on suspected members of the Al Qaida and other extremists. Only recently they were given promotions for their role in fighting terrorism.

Most of the arrested extremists were confined at the CID centre during interrogations.

The second parcel bomb rocked Tughlaq House, where the Sindh provincial secretariat offices are located just 25 minutes after the first explosion. At least three people, including one police official, were wounded.

The explosion smashed glass windows of several rooms and damaged furniture, police and ambulance workers said.

The bomb was apparently aimed at Home Secretary Mukhtar Ahmed, a retired army officer, who is a leading figure in the campaign against extremists.

The police sealed the building as hundreds of employees rushed out of it in panic. The third explosion occurred inside the Town Police Office of Saddar, where several senior officials have their offices. At least four people, mostly policemen, were wounded.

The police detonated the fourth bomb, attached to a motorcycle, in Aligarh Lawn. No one was hurt.

A senior police official said on the condition of anonymity that all eight parcels were sent on behalf of the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal, an alliance of religious parties, which has emerged as the third largest group in the recent elections. "Gift from MMA," read one of the parcels.

However, MMA spokesman Sarfaraz Ahmed immediately distanced his alliance from the blasts and turned the blame on parties which lost seats to the religious alliance.

Sarfaraz denied his group's involvement, saying that the bombing has been carried out by those forces who are upset with the victory of religious forces in the election.

"This is an attempt to destabilise Sindh province. The MMA has always been a peaceful and law-abiding organisation," he said.

The blasts appeared to be aimed at "sabotaging" a deal nearly reached between MMA and the
Pakistan People's Party (PPP) on forming a coalition to govern Sindh province, Sarfaraz said.

Shah, the Sindh police chief, however, said that it was premature to blame any group for this act of terrorism. "We are investigating and working on several leads," he said. "We hope to get a breakthrough in investigations soon," he added.

The police have detained the post office worker who brought the parcels at the CID centre and are interrogating him, Shah said.

Doctors said that one of the victims, Waqar Abid, personal assistant of the deputy inspector general of police, is in a critical condition.

Shah told reporters earlier in the day that police have deployed at least 16 hidden cameras at "sensitive places" in an attempt to prevent strikes by the terrorists. While he was briefing newsmen, the report of the first explosion arrived.

"One of the bombs was directly addressed to the Sindh police chief Kamal Shah," Karachi police chief Asad Jehangir said, "but it was intercepted at the courier office." "It is an act of terrorism," Sindh Home Secretary Mukhtar Ahmed declared.

"Four of the parcels were directly addressed to the officers involved in the recent operation against militants and sectarian killers. This is a major lead, but we will probe with an open mind," Shah said.

"If the message was to deter us from pursuing the war on terrorism these terrorists are mistaken," he said. "Our war against terrorism will continue."

Sindh Governor Mohammed-mian Soomro condemned the attack, urging the people to remain on guard against such activities.

After the June 14 bombing outside the U.S. consulate in Karachi which killed 12 Pakistanis, this is the first major terror attack in this teeming city of more than 12 million people.

"We thought things have returned to normal, but we were wrong," said Minhas Ahmed, a passerby outside the Tughlaq House. "The government should crush the terrorists who are hitting at our city," he said.

Earlier this year there were a series of high-profile terror attacks in Karachi including the May 8 deadly bombing outside the Sheraton Hotel in which 11 French technicians were killed.

Soon after, the authorities arrested several prominent members of Al Qaida and a little known militant group Harkatul Mujahideen Al Alami, including its two top leaders. But the terrorist activities have continued unabated.

Police suspect that extremists, outraged by President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's decision to support the U.S.-led war against terrorism in Afghanistan, are involved in acts of terrorism.
The extremists also tried to assassinate Musharraf, but failed.