Bombing streak: In-sync blasts disrupt railway traffic in Sindh
Sindhu Desh Liberation Army claims responsibility for the attacks.
HYDERABAD/SUKKUR:
A string of low-intensity bomb explosions damaged railway tracks across Sindh on Saturday, bringing rail traffic to a screeching halt and delaying several trains for up to four hours but causing no casualties.
Four improvised explosive devices were detonated early morning in Hyderabad, six in Benazirabad and three near Kotri railway station in Jamshoro and two in Bin Qasim, Karachi. The first explosion was heard around 6:20 am near the Sehrish Nagar area in Qasimabad which was followed five minutes by another one at the same location.
Around 7.15am, four more blasts wrecked both the tracks near Latifabad. Seventeen express trains, including the non-stop Business Express, remained halted for up to four hours at various railway stations.
The Pakistan Business Train and Pakistan Express, both Karachi bound, were stopped at the Hyderabad railway station. Karachi-bound Tezgam Express was stopped at Mirpur Mathelo, while Punjab-bound Farid Express was stopped at the Sarhad railway station near Ghotki.
Similarly, Karakoram Express, Millat Express and Sukkur Express also experienced delays and were stopped at different railway stations.
Police and railway authorities cordoned off the area and a bomb disposal squad was summoned from Sukkur to clear the tracks. Squad in charge Inspector Tahir told The Express Tribune that all the bombs were of local origin and weighed about five pounds. He added that all the explosives were detonated through remote control.
The Sindhu Desh Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack in pamphlets left at the blast sites. The group has been demanding secession of Sindh and to prove their strength, has also conducted similar attacks in the past. SP Zafar Iqbal told The Express Tribune that the pamphlets called upon the people of Sindh to launch an insurgency in the province, similar to the one in Balochistan.
“The attacks mirrored the previous ones aimed at causing only minor damage to show that a force exists,” said SSP Syed Asad Raza Shah.
According to SSP Hyderabad, the Government Officers Residence and Hussainabad police stations will lodge First Information Reports under the Anti-Terrorism Act against miscreants after complaints of the Railway authorities. In Benazirabad, unidentified saboteurs will be nominated at three separate police stations.
Meanwhile, railway rescue services started repairing the railway track and after six hours, rail traffic was restored. The divisional superintendent railways Sukkur, Shaikh Sardar, told The Express Tribune that the railway tracks had been repaired and train service had resumed.
(With additional reporting by Faraz Khan from Karachi)
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2012.
A string of low-intensity bomb explosions damaged railway tracks across Sindh on Saturday, bringing rail traffic to a screeching halt and delaying several trains for up to four hours but causing no casualties.
Four improvised explosive devices were detonated early morning in Hyderabad, six in Benazirabad and three near Kotri railway station in Jamshoro and two in Bin Qasim, Karachi. The first explosion was heard around 6:20 am near the Sehrish Nagar area in Qasimabad which was followed five minutes by another one at the same location.
Around 7.15am, four more blasts wrecked both the tracks near Latifabad. Seventeen express trains, including the non-stop Business Express, remained halted for up to four hours at various railway stations.
The Pakistan Business Train and Pakistan Express, both Karachi bound, were stopped at the Hyderabad railway station. Karachi-bound Tezgam Express was stopped at Mirpur Mathelo, while Punjab-bound Farid Express was stopped at the Sarhad railway station near Ghotki.
Similarly, Karakoram Express, Millat Express and Sukkur Express also experienced delays and were stopped at different railway stations.
Police and railway authorities cordoned off the area and a bomb disposal squad was summoned from Sukkur to clear the tracks. Squad in charge Inspector Tahir told The Express Tribune that all the bombs were of local origin and weighed about five pounds. He added that all the explosives were detonated through remote control.
The Sindhu Desh Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the attack in pamphlets left at the blast sites. The group has been demanding secession of Sindh and to prove their strength, has also conducted similar attacks in the past. SP Zafar Iqbal told The Express Tribune that the pamphlets called upon the people of Sindh to launch an insurgency in the province, similar to the one in Balochistan.
“The attacks mirrored the previous ones aimed at causing only minor damage to show that a force exists,” said SSP Syed Asad Raza Shah.
According to SSP Hyderabad, the Government Officers Residence and Hussainabad police stations will lodge First Information Reports under the Anti-Terrorism Act against miscreants after complaints of the Railway authorities. In Benazirabad, unidentified saboteurs will be nominated at three separate police stations.
Meanwhile, railway rescue services started repairing the railway track and after six hours, rail traffic was restored. The divisional superintendent railways Sukkur, Shaikh Sardar, told The Express Tribune that the railway tracks had been repaired and train service had resumed.
(With additional reporting by Faraz Khan from Karachi)
Published in The Express Tribune, February 26th, 2012.