Karachi: At least nine people were killed and 12 injured on Friday when unknown assailants opened indiscriminate fire on a passenger bus going from Karachi to Swabi in Pakistan's restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
Around 50 passengers were on board when four armed men boarded the bus travelling along the National Highway in Nawabshah area of Sindh and opened indiscriminate fire, DIG Sanaullah Abbasi told reporters.
The Deputy Superintendent of Police Sardar Khan Chandio said the Sindhu Desh Liberation Army, a separatist outfit which claims to be fighting for the rights of Sindh province, has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
All the gunmen fled after the attack that left seven people dead and three injured, police said.
Abbasi described the gunmen as terrorists while some reports said the attack was an attempted robbery.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the brutal attack and directed authorities to bring the gunmen to justice. He also asked authorities to submit a report on the incident.
According to media reports, the attack was revenge for the murder of Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz (JSMM) leader Muzaffar Bhutto, whose body was found in Hyderabad after 15 months of his disappearance.
PTI
First Published: Friday, May 25, 2012, 16:35