Two killed, seven other injured in Karachi blast

Karachi: At least two people were killed and seven others injured on Monday in a bomb blast at a cigarette shop in Pakistan`s largest city Karachi, police said.

The blast took place at a cigarette and pan shop with police officials saying that the bomb, weighing around two kilogrammes, was placed in a motorcycle parked near the shop in the Pushtun dominated neighbourhood of Landhi and detonated by a timer. "The incident happened in a poor neighbourhood of Landhi, Khurrumabad and seven people were injured while two were killed by the explosion," senior police official, Fayyaz Khan, said. "The casualties included a man and his 12-year old son who were buying stuff at the cigarette shop," he said. Khan said the explosion also damaged eight motorcycles and nearby shops. "The injured include three children and two of them are in critical condition," Khan said. On March 3 twin bomb blasts close to a shia dominated housing society called Abbas Town in Gulshan-e-Iqbal killed about 50 people and injured 135 others. As a result of the blasts, violence broke out in the city, with the Supreme Court of Pakistan taking suo moto notice of the incident and in the hearings blamed the government and law enforcement agencies for failing to provide security and safety to citizens. In the aftermath of the blasts and Supreme Court hearings Inspector General Sindh, Fayyaz Leghari, and four other senior police officials were removed by the government on orders of the court. Ironically Fayyaz Leghari was also removed as IG Sindh on court orders in August, 2011, after the para-miliary rangers gunned down a young man, Sarfaraz Shah, claiming he was a thief. A video of the shooting later released by a television channel led to the court and media taking up the case. PTI