Funeral prayers of the 14 victims of Imam Ali Reza Imambargah bomb blast was offered after Zohar prayers at Imam Ali Reza Mosque at M. A. Jinnah road on Tuesday.
A powerful bomb blast during Maghrib prayers in Imam Ali Reza Imambargah on Monday had killed at least 20 and injured more than 50 Namazis. The blast has also damaged the Imambargah. A portion of its ceiling has collapsed and walls have developed cracks. The dome of the mosque has split into four parts.
Nine victims were buried at Ali Bagh, Mewashah Graveyard, four were buried at Wadi-e-Hussain and one was taken to Jhang for burial. Funeral prayers of the remaining victims were carried out at other Imambargahs.
Maulana Ghulam Ali Waziri led the prayers at Imam Ali Mosque amid tense and emotionally charged atmosphere. A large number of relatives, mourners and religious leaders attended the prayers.
The entire M. A. Jinnah Road from the Purani Numaish to Imam Ali Reza Mosque, near the Bundu Khan restaurant, was jam packed with those who had come to offer funeral prayers.
All roads leading to the place of prayers were closed for all kinds of traffic. Police and rangers were present in large numbers, but were advised to remain at a distance from the Namazis as Ulema had seen this measure necessary to keep tempers of the mourners cool.
But this measure did not work. Shia leaders and the mourners before offering prayers demanded of the government to release more than 100 people arrested on Monday by the rangers and the police to release them else they would stage a sit-in and offer prayers only after their demands were met.
Talks between the police led by DIG Tariq Jameel and Ulema led by Maulana Aun Mohammed Naqvi took time before reaching any conclusion.
Police said that the arrested people were kept at different police stations and their release would take some time. Whereas, the participants of the funeral procession insisted on continuing sit-in till such time the arrested people were released.
This impasse in the talks enraged many people who, though agreed to offer prayers and carry coffins to the designated graveyards, did not reconcile with the promises made by the police regarding the release of the arrested people. This situation kept many people tense even after the funerals were over.
On way to graveyards people resorted to pelting of stones on nearby buildings which damaged restaurants, motorcar workshops, Taj Medical Complex and many other buildings. They set on fire police bus, private motor cars, motorcycles petrol pumps and blocked most parts of the M. A. Jinnah road by burning tyres, hoarding and other materials. Police vehicles were no exception as their vans, including a newly purchased bus, were also set ablaze. Many banks were also burnt.
The city as a whole remained in the grip of fear and tension as violence may erupt at any time. Public and private transport remained off the roads and commuters were made to suffer, as they could not reach their work places. Attendance in the offices was low and many offices gave deserted look.
Because of the shortage of transport industrial, commercial and economic activities also suffered.
At times police let go teargas shells and opened aerial firing to disperse the unruly mob and the rampaging crowd to save public properties.
The effect of the disturbances soon spread in other parts of the city such as Pahalvan Goth, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Sohrab Goth at Super Highway, Abbas, Town, Ancholi Society, Shah Faisal Colony, Jaffar-e-Tayyar Society in Malir, Rizvia Society, Soldier Bazar and its adjoining areas.
The Business Recorder Road which was adversely affected after the assassination of religious scholar Mufti Nizamuddin Shamzai on Monday morning, a few yards away from Jamia Binoria in Jamshed Town area, remained closed for vehicular traffic and business activities.
Private television channels reported poor law and order situation in these localities. Tension was reported from Abbas Town, Sohrab Goth, Ancholi Society and Jaffar-e-Tayyar Society where people clashed with each other pelted stones on each other and used firearms.
Most of the petrol pumps in the city remained closed; a few as a measure of safety and a few because of burning by the angry mobs protesting against the bomb blast in Imam Ali Raza Imambargah.
Talking to newsmen City Police Chief Asad Ashraf Malik said that efforts were being made to reach some conclusion about the nature of explosion in the Imambargah.
He said it would be premature to reach a final conclusion about the kind of explosion, but it seemed as if it was an act of suicide bombing.
Senior Superintendent of Police, Investigation, Manzoor Moughal, said that it might be a suicide bomber that had carried out the blast.
DIG City Police, Tariq Jameel, who accompanied the funeral procession to Wadi-e-Hussain, said that there were incidents of law and order disturbances but the situation was controlled with the help of the police, rangers and the civilians.
Provincial secretary information of Shia Ulema Council Pakistan, Syed Kausar Hussain Zaidi, has said that the police resorted to teargas shelling and Lathi charge on the funeral procession which has injured many people.
He said that there would be a meeting on Tuesday some time to decide future course of action as the government had failed to protect people from acts of terrorism.
IGP Syed Kamal Shah and DG Rangers, Sindh, Major General Javed Zia and CCPO visited the damaged Imambargah. Fire fighters were also present on the M. A. Jinnah Road.
Police sources have not fixed responsibility on any group of terrorists known to it for the bomb blast or the suicide bombing.
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