‘I saw the sky turn red’
Residents, workers near the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazaar share what they saw and heard.
KARACHI:
“My head still hurts from the intensity of the blast,” says Ali Rafiq, holding his head. Rafiq is the director of prêt line Thredz, located a stone’s throw away from the shrine. “At first I thought a pole mounted transformer had burst and sent someone to investigate but within seconds, I heard a second, louder blast,” he recalls.
“Within five minutes, the entire lane was in darkness as everyone, including us, shut down our lights and started packing up.” But he says he could not see clearly. “People were running everywhere and oddly enough, some were running towards the shrine, probably curious to know what had happened.”
Noorjahan Soomro, a resident of Old Clifton and a devotee of the Shah Ghazi, was deeply troubled by the incident. She regularly goes to the shrine even though she says she has seen the Sufi in her dreams when trouble knocks on her door. “My heart and prayers go out to those who have lost their loved ones,” she says grimly.
The people of Karachi knew at the back of their minds that the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazaar was a potential terrorist target. But no one could imagine it would happen. Their fears came true.
For some people, they saw images they may never forget. “When the first blast took place, I immediately realised it didn’t sound like a transformer blast and I rushed to the window to look outside. Within a few seconds, I heard the second blast and that’s when I saw the sky turn red,” said Najia Mirza, a resident of Clifton Block 4, adding that the experience was both emotionally and physically disturbing.
“I was home alone and I knew my mother and sister were about to pass the shrine on their way back.” Najia’s mother had safely crossed the shrine by the time the blasts occurred and on receiving her daughter’s call, immediately took an alternate route and returned home.
Her sister, Misha, wasn’t as lucky. “My sister passed just as the blast occurred. She saw bodies sprawled all over the road. There was a man laying there who was still alive but his arms were severed and he was bleeding incessantly,” Najia describes what her sister had told her.
A day after the tragedy struck on Thursday, most shops and businesses remained closed throughout the day. Some who tried to open their shops in the morning were asked by the police to remain closed for their own safety.
The Designers didn’t open on Friday either. Guarding the store was Dil Murad, who was also present at the time of the blast. “I was sitting outside the store when I heard a loud bang. I was just making my way inside to warn the others when I heard a second and significantly louder blast,” he recalls, adding that soon after, everyone packed up and left. “It was a really loud noise but we didn’t feel anything - nothing broke or shook.”
“At first I thought a truck tyre had burst,” says 15-year-old Rustam Khan who works at his uncle’s fruit stall within a few metres from the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazaar. “I was all alone at the stall then and suddenly saw people running around in panic. Obviously I got scared.” He said that within 20 seconds of the first explosion, he heard another blast and that was when it hit him — the shrine had been attacked. “I spent the night in the car here with the others to protect our goods.”
Nida and Adeel Rizki live right by the Russian Consulate. Speaking to The Express Tribune, they said, “We were just stepping into our house when we heard a very loud explosion and felt the floor shake. It was like thunder had struck.” Adeel then went onto the building’s roof to see what had happened. “We couldn’t see much. The sky was covered with smoke.”
Meanwhile, Mr Haroon, the owner of Imperial Trading, a tile and sanitary fitting store on 26th Street, said he didn’t see, hear or feel anything. “We don’t know anything, don’t want to know anything and our night progressed as usual,” he insisted. When asked if he had watched the news regarding the attack on the shrine, he retorted, “These things happen every day. How are we supposed to keep track?”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2010.
“My head still hurts from the intensity of the blast,” says Ali Rafiq, holding his head. Rafiq is the director of prêt line Thredz, located a stone’s throw away from the shrine. “At first I thought a pole mounted transformer had burst and sent someone to investigate but within seconds, I heard a second, louder blast,” he recalls.
“Within five minutes, the entire lane was in darkness as everyone, including us, shut down our lights and started packing up.” But he says he could not see clearly. “People were running everywhere and oddly enough, some were running towards the shrine, probably curious to know what had happened.”
Noorjahan Soomro, a resident of Old Clifton and a devotee of the Shah Ghazi, was deeply troubled by the incident. She regularly goes to the shrine even though she says she has seen the Sufi in her dreams when trouble knocks on her door. “My heart and prayers go out to those who have lost their loved ones,” she says grimly.
The people of Karachi knew at the back of their minds that the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazaar was a potential terrorist target. But no one could imagine it would happen. Their fears came true.
For some people, they saw images they may never forget. “When the first blast took place, I immediately realised it didn’t sound like a transformer blast and I rushed to the window to look outside. Within a few seconds, I heard the second blast and that’s when I saw the sky turn red,” said Najia Mirza, a resident of Clifton Block 4, adding that the experience was both emotionally and physically disturbing.
“I was home alone and I knew my mother and sister were about to pass the shrine on their way back.” Najia’s mother had safely crossed the shrine by the time the blasts occurred and on receiving her daughter’s call, immediately took an alternate route and returned home.
Her sister, Misha, wasn’t as lucky. “My sister passed just as the blast occurred. She saw bodies sprawled all over the road. There was a man laying there who was still alive but his arms were severed and he was bleeding incessantly,” Najia describes what her sister had told her.
A day after the tragedy struck on Thursday, most shops and businesses remained closed throughout the day. Some who tried to open their shops in the morning were asked by the police to remain closed for their own safety.
The Designers didn’t open on Friday either. Guarding the store was Dil Murad, who was also present at the time of the blast. “I was sitting outside the store when I heard a loud bang. I was just making my way inside to warn the others when I heard a second and significantly louder blast,” he recalls, adding that soon after, everyone packed up and left. “It was a really loud noise but we didn’t feel anything - nothing broke or shook.”
“At first I thought a truck tyre had burst,” says 15-year-old Rustam Khan who works at his uncle’s fruit stall within a few metres from the Abdullah Shah Ghazi mazaar. “I was all alone at the stall then and suddenly saw people running around in panic. Obviously I got scared.” He said that within 20 seconds of the first explosion, he heard another blast and that was when it hit him — the shrine had been attacked. “I spent the night in the car here with the others to protect our goods.”
Nida and Adeel Rizki live right by the Russian Consulate. Speaking to The Express Tribune, they said, “We were just stepping into our house when we heard a very loud explosion and felt the floor shake. It was like thunder had struck.” Adeel then went onto the building’s roof to see what had happened. “We couldn’t see much. The sky was covered with smoke.”
Meanwhile, Mr Haroon, the owner of Imperial Trading, a tile and sanitary fitting store on 26th Street, said he didn’t see, hear or feel anything. “We don’t know anything, don’t want to know anything and our night progressed as usual,” he insisted. When asked if he had watched the news regarding the attack on the shrine, he retorted, “These things happen every day. How are we supposed to keep track?”
Published in The Express Tribune, October 9th, 2010.