Specialist One
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KARACHI (Reuters) - A bomb in Pakistan's commercial capital Karachi wounded at least 19 people on Saturday, police said, in an apparent attack on Shi'ite Muslims ahead of one of their most important mourning rituals.
The explosion took place outside a Shi'ite Muslim gathering just before the start of Ashura, the Shi'ite calendar's biggest event, which has become a flashpoint for deadly attacks by Sunni militants over recent years.
Senior Police Superintendent Raja Umer Khattab said two policemen were wounded in the blast caused by a homemade bomb. "It looks like a remote controlled or a time device as the blast took place along the roadside," he told Reuters. Police suspected earlier that it was a car bomb.
Police have stepped up security in the run-up to Ashura, whose climax is on Monday. The event draws thousands of people onto the streets in cities across Pakistan.
The explosion took place outside a Shi'ite Muslim gathering just before the start of Ashura, the Shi'ite calendar's biggest event, which has become a flashpoint for deadly attacks by Sunni militants over recent years.
Senior Police Superintendent Raja Umer Khattab said two policemen were wounded in the blast caused by a homemade bomb. "It looks like a remote controlled or a time device as the blast took place along the roadside," he told Reuters. Police suspected earlier that it was a car bomb.
Police have stepped up security in the run-up to Ashura, whose climax is on Monday. The event draws thousands of people onto the streets in cities across Pakistan.
