LAHORE: Nine of the 13 victims, who died in today’s car bomb blast in Lahore, were laid to rest on Monday night.

The funeral prayers of eight victims, including six policemen, were offered at Police Line. On this occasion, IG Punjab Tarim Salim Dogar said an inquiry team has been formed to probe the terror attack.

Earlier in the day, a suicide bomber rammed his explosive-laden car into a building where police interrogate high-profile suspects in Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore, killing at least 13 people and wounding 61 others, including women, officials said.

The attack shattered what had been a relative lull in major violence in Pakistan.

The attack also showed that rebels retain the ability to strike the country’s heartland, far from the Afghan border regions where al Qaida and the Taliban have long thrived, despite army offensives aimed at wiping them out.

The authorities have found the head of the suicide bomber.

No group immediately claimed responsibility, but suspicion fell on the Pakistani Taliban and allied militant groups.

Those groups are believed to have been responsible for a wave of attacks which killed more than 600 people starting in October, including several in major Pakistani cities. More recent attacks have been smaller and confined to remote north-west regions near Afghanistan.

The latest explosion comes amid reports of a Pakistani crackdown on Afghan Taliban and al Qaida operatives using its soil. Among the militants said to have been arrested is the Afghan Taliban’s number two commander, Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The bomb went off outside a Punjab province police building, police official Zulfikar Hameed said. TV footage showed a huge crater in the ground where the blast seemed to have originated.

DCO Lahore said that 800 kilograms of explosive material was used in the attack.

Police official Chaudhry Shafiq said 13 people had died. Of the 61 people wounded, several were in a critical condition.

Hospital official Jawed Akram said the dead included at least one woman and a young girl, apparently part of a group heading to a school. Several women were among the wounded.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik painted the attack as sign of desperation from militants whose “backs have been broken” by the army. “They are taking guerrilla actions but gradually it is decreasing and they are being arrested and in the coming days they will have no chance,” he said.

Bomb Blast at Jinnah Hospital karachi, karachi second blast.. FTC Shahra.e.Faisal Blast.. Blast at Jinnah Hospital Karachi

Blast at Shahra.e.Faisal, Near Nursery, Karachi. link:
http://pakbee.com/2010/02/karachi-nursery-ftc-shahr-e-faisal-blast-video-cctv/

KARACHI: At least 11 people were killed and over 50 other people were injured when a powerful explosion occurred in a public vehicle plying on Sharah-e-Faisal of Karachi, media reported Friday.

According to Geo News, the blast occurred in a mini bus near Nursery stop towards FTC. The injured riding a mini bus coming from Malir, include children and women.

Police and other rescue workers have arrived on the spot. The road leading to Saddar has been blocked and the blast site has been cordoned off.

According to Geo News correspondent, the blast occurred near a furniture market situated near the Sharah-e-Faisal.

The Geo News correspondent said at least 50 people were injured in the blast, who have been shifted to Jinnah Hospital. Various injured are in critical state. Also a body has been moved from the scene.

All the casualties have been moved from the blast scene.

According to eyewitnesses, a motorcyclist hit the ill-fated vehicle to cause the mishap. The bus was completely damaged in the blast.

The Jinnah Hospital sources confirmed to Geo News of at least 11 deaths.

After the blast, people gathered to protest and raised slogans. People in large number gathered at Jinnah Hospital as well.

Karachi Second Blast at Jinnah Hospital:
http://pakbee.com/2010/02/bomb-blast-at-jinnah-hospital-karachi-cctv-video-pictures/

KARACHI: Following the death of 39 people in Karachi, the rangers have been awarded special powers under Anti-Terrorism Act in the limit of 26 police stations to halt the rising incidents of violence in the city.

Section 144 has already been put into effect in these areas, while permissions granted for carrying arms have also been cancelled.

According to authorities, nine more people were shot dead in Pirabad, Sarjani Town, Liaquatabad, Buffer Zone, Mangho Pir, Sir Syed Town, Azizabad and PECH, after which the five-day death toll mounted to 39.

Tension gripped the affected areas, while enraged people staged protest in Nazimabad, Karimabad and other areas.

Earlier, Federal Interior Minister Rehman Malik chaired a high-level meeting called to discuss security situation in Karachi.

Hollow promises, and commitments of the ruling party and law-enforcement authorities were clearly exposed as at least 12 precious lives were lost and more than 15 wounded in targeted killing and other incidents of violence in past 36 hours in Karachi.

These targeted killings were triggered on Friday night in Qasba Colony and Orangi Town, when two political activists were shot down by unidentified armed men.

According to reports, this violent series of killings escalated on Friday night at Qasba Colony, when activists of Awami National Party(ANP) were engaged in an opening ceremony of new party office. The situation turned violent when two rival groups exchanged intense firing claiming two lives. The deceased were Mohammed Javed of the MQM and Sharif Khan of the ANP.

Media sources confirmed that 15 bodies were bought to the hospitals, 4 out of which remained unknown and have been shifted to the morgue for identification and autopsy.

On Saturday morning armed men forced closure of shops in Orangi Town, Peerabad, Qasba Colony, Paposh Nagar, Kali Pehari and Banaras areas. According to the fire office, a mini-bus of route G-7, bearing registration number JE-3407, was torched in Sector-11L, Orangi Town.

SHO Mominabad Shabbair Ahmed identified the deceased as Tooti Khan while injured person was Raaz Mohammad, who were attacked by armed men when they came to Mominabad No-5 to purchase steel.

Meanwhile, another non-political person, Naek Zada was gunned down at Orangi Town in C-1 area.

A private TV channel employee , Sajid Ali, was also shot dead by gunmen, in Sharifabad police limits, when he was standing outside his uncle’s house in Liquatabad Furniture Market.

The killings have been condemned and blamed on an unknown political party by both Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

Capital City Police Officer(CCPO) Waseem Ahmed said,“we have been pursuing the proposal to review the law about the possession of illegal weapons and to devise a mechanism to seize such arms.” He has confirmed seven killings in these incidents of violence.

MQM spokesperson alleged that “an ethnic party is harassing Urdu-speaking people, mainly in the Qasba Colony and Orangi Town areas. They killed MQM activist Friday night, and we demand that the prime minister, federal interior minister and chief minister order action against the killers.”

ANP party’s spokesman claimed that, “in Qasba Colony, Aligarh and other parts of the city the same people were targeting and killing Pakhtuns. The victims were poor people such as labourers and were on their way to work when activists of a political party gunned them down for no reason.”

Lawlessness and inability of the security institutions, yet again proved that the people of Karachi are not safe anywhere. Target killings claimed 40 lives earlier this month