Police began efforts yesterday to identify the remains of a suspected suicide bomber who attacked a popular Muslim shrine near the official residence of Pakistan's prime minister, killing at least 20 people and wounding scores more, an official said.
The explosion ripped through a congregation of hundreds of mainly Shiite worshippers who had gathered Friday for the last day of a religious festival at the Bari Imam shrine.
The shrine is about a kilometer from the residence of Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and the heavily guarded diplomatic enclave that houses the embassy of the US and other countries in the capital, Islamabad.
PHOTO: AFP
Thousands of Muslims, both Sunnis and minority Shiites, attended the five-day festival. The explosion left blood, body parts, shoes and pieces of clothing scattered over a wide area.
Police recovered the head of a man who appeared to be in his 20s and is believed to be the suicide attacker, said Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed.
"[Investigators] are trying to identify him. We will soon determine who he is," Ahmed told reporters.
He offered a reward of 500,000 rupees (US$8,400) for information that helps identify the attacker.
Yesterday newspapers published photographs of the suspect's head -- with an unshaven face, thin mustache and curly hair.
The bombing struck the congregation under a canvas shade as they awaited the arrival of Shiite leader Hamid Mosavi, a vehement critic of the US-led war on terrorism, who was about to deliver a sermon. Mosavi was not hurt, witnesses said.
A government official, Tariq Pirzada, said at least 18 people were killed and 86 others hurt in the explosion, the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan news agency reported.
Hundreds of Shiite worshippers, beating their chests and heads in mourning, clashed with police near the shrine afterward when officers charged the crowd with batons to clear the way for ambulances. Some chanted, "Down with America!"
Police stepped up security in Islamabad Saturday.
President General Pervez Musharraf condemned the deadliest attack in the capital for years, and appealed for his countrymen to unite against "religious terrorism, sectarianism and extremism."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan also condemned the bombing, and expressed outrage that civilians have been repeatedly targeted at their places of worship.
"Let me express the condolences of the US government for this tragic event," added US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca, who was in Islamabad for talks. "This was a horrible thing to have happened."
Sectarian attacks are common in Pakistan. Sunnis make up about 80 percent of its 150 million people, and Shiites about 17 percent. Most live peacefully together, but extremist elements on both sides have violent agendas.
The schism dates back to a Seventh-century dispute over who was the true heir to the Prophet Mohammed.
LANDMARK CASE: ‘Every night we were dragged to US soldiers and sexually abused. Every week we were forced to undergo venereal disease tests,’ a victim said More than 100 South Korean women who were forced to work as prostitutes for US soldiers stationed in the country have filed a landmark lawsuit accusing Washington of abuse, their lawyers said yesterday. Historians and activists say tens of thousands of South Korean women worked for state-sanctioned brothels from the 1950s to 1980s, serving US troops stationed in country to protect the South from North Korea. In 2022, South Korea’s top court ruled that the government had illegally “established, managed and operated” such brothels for the US military, ordering it to pay about 120 plaintiffs compensation. Last week, 117 victims
China on Monday announced its first ever sanctions against an individual Japanese lawmaker, targeting China-born Hei Seki for “spreading fallacies” on issues such as Taiwan, Hong Kong and disputed islands, prompting a protest from Tokyo. Beijing has an ongoing spat with Tokyo over islands in the East China Sea claimed by both countries, and considers foreign criticism on sensitive political topics to be acts of interference. Seki, a naturalised Japanese citizen, “spread false information, colluded with Japanese anti-China forces, and wantonly attacked and smeared China”, foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian told reporters on Monday. “For his own selfish interests, (Seki)
Argentine President Javier Milei on Sunday vowed to “accelerate” his libertarian reforms after a crushing defeat in Buenos Aires provincial elections. The 54-year-old economist has slashed public spending, dismissed tens of thousands of public employees and led a major deregulation drive since taking office in December 2023. He acknowledged his party’s “clear defeat” by the center-left Peronist movement in the elections to the legislature of Buenos Aires province, the country’s economic powerhouse. A deflated-sounding Milei admitted to unspecified “mistakes” which he vowed to “correct,” but said he would not be swayed “one millimeter” from his reform agenda. “We will deepen and accelerate it,” he
Japan yesterday heralded the coming-of-age of Japanese Prince Hisahito with an elaborate ceremony at the Imperial Palace, where a succession crisis is brewing. The nephew of Japanese Emperor Naruhito, Hisahito received a black silk-and-lacquer crown at the ceremony, which marks the beginning of his royal adult life. “Thank you very much for bestowing the crown today at the coming-of-age ceremony,” Hisahito said. “I will fulfill my duties, being aware of my responsibilities as an adult member of the imperial family.” Although the emperor has a daughter — Princess Aiko — the 23-year-old has been sidelined by the royal family’s male-only
RSS