Officials confirm seven blasts in Karachi
Wednesday, 9 July 2008
KARACHI, Jul 8 (AP): A total of seven small blasts left 43 people wounded in Pakistan's commercial capital of Karachi, officials confirmed Tuesday, as investigators probed the previous evening's chaos and life returned to its more routine bustle.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf urged national unity, and security forces were on high alert. Monday's string of explosions followed a weekend suicide blast in the capital, Islamabad, that killed 18 people, most of them police.
Karachi police chief Wasim Ahmed confirmed that at least eight men have been detained so far and that some explosives were recovered in overnight raids. Zulifqar Mirza, the provincial interior minister, told reporters that seven devices were used.
The 43 people wounded were all in stable condition, said Mirza, adding that the motive behind the attacks appeared to be creating chaos in a city where political, ethnic and religious violence is common.
Babar Khattak, Sindh province police chief, said Monday that it appeared that about 5 ounces to 7 ounces of explosives were used in at least six of the blasts - only enough to create a relatively small explosion.
Mirza ruled out the possibility of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud being involved. "We have found concrete evidence about the culprits, but for now I cannot disclose it," he said.
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf urged national unity, and security forces were on high alert. Monday's string of explosions followed a weekend suicide blast in the capital, Islamabad, that killed 18 people, most of them police.
Karachi police chief Wasim Ahmed confirmed that at least eight men have been detained so far and that some explosives were recovered in overnight raids. Zulifqar Mirza, the provincial interior minister, told reporters that seven devices were used.
The 43 people wounded were all in stable condition, said Mirza, adding that the motive behind the attacks appeared to be creating chaos in a city where political, ethnic and religious violence is common.
Babar Khattak, Sindh province police chief, said Monday that it appeared that about 5 ounces to 7 ounces of explosives were used in at least six of the blasts - only enough to create a relatively small explosion.
Mirza ruled out the possibility of Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud being involved. "We have found concrete evidence about the culprits, but for now I cannot disclose it," he said.