A Sufi shrine in Karachi, the main port city of Pakistan, was hit by a double explosion on Thursday. This may have been the handiwork of suicide bombers. The Tehreek-e-Taliban, or Movement of Taliban, is reported to have laid claim to the attack which left at least 8 dead and over 65 wounded. This is the third of such attacks on the Sufi strain of Islam in the past year.
The grave of the Sufi saint Abdullah Shah Ghazi is the most crowded on Thursdays, when people from Karachi and across the Sindh province visit the shrine to seek blessings of a revered saint of the Sufi strain of Islam. Sufism is a more flexible and moderate form of Islam practiced by most of the Pakistanis. The Islamic militant groups regard these groups equivalent to heresy and have repeatedly been attacking them and other sects of Islam that they oppose.
The first blast occurred outside the main entrance which had an electronic security gate. Almost simultaneously the next blast occurred on the steps leading to the grave of the saint. Severed heads of the suicide bombers were said to have been recovered. However, the police are playing it safe by still reporting that it has not been confirmed that the attack was carried out by suicide bombers. The blasts left congealing pools of blood and dismembered parts of the body lying around.
Sindh Home Minister Zulfiqar Mirza has announced that all
the shrines in Karachi
will remain shut for the next three months as part of security measures.
