At least five persons were killed while more than 20 were injured in an early morning remote controlled bomb attack on Pakistan Navy’s bus near naval residential area of Karsaz here in Karachi on Thursday, police said. According to reports, a powerful explosion took place at about 8:00am when a staff bus, carrying 8 naval officials of Pakistan Navy moved out from PNS Mehran. As a result, a Lieutenant of Pakistan Navy and a passerby motor-bike rider were killed on the spot while three injured succumbed to injuries in the hospital. More than 20 also were injured in the attack. After the incident, the injured were shifted to PNS Rahat Hospital, PNS Shifa and Jinnah Post-Graduate Medical Center. The hospital sources informed that few among the injured were in critical condition. Those who martyred in today’s bomb blast were included Sabir Marwat, Mirza Ramzan, Muhammad Yamin, Imtiaz and a civilian lady doctor. Two other vehicles traveling on the road in usual traffic were also destroyed in the incident as they collided into each other after the blast. Glasses of many nearby houses were also damaged with the intensity of the blast. Heavy contingents of Pakistan Navy, police and rangers rushed to the blast site and cordoned off the area. Senior Superintendent of Police and head of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU), Raja Umar Khatab has said that the bomb was planted at roadside and when Pak, Navy bus reached close, it was blasted by remote control device.
Reports from military sources confirm that these blasts were carried out in reaction to Pakistan COAS' statement in which he lauded Pakistan Army's military campaign against the CIA backed TTP and said that Pakistan Army had broken the back of terrorists. Military sources revealed that the timing of this attack is crucial and matches perfectly with the NATO backed attack on Pakistan's western border in Angoor Adda and Datta Khel where several mortars were deliberately fired on Pakistani check posts by terrorist invaders. The ultimate evident aim of these attacks on Pakistan Navy and Pakistan itself is to pressurize Pakistan to initiate the operation against so called "terrorists" in North Waziristan (The Haqqanis). Whereas Pakistan Army has clearly refused to carry out any such operation as Pakistan's COAS General Ashfaq visited the tribal agency and vowed to defend the patriotic tribes at all cost.
