In the line of fire: Two personnel injured by cracker bomb at Pirabad

Over one-and-a-half dozen police stations declared highly sensitive.

KARACHI:

Two police personnel were wounded in a bomb attack at their police station near Banaras flyover on Saturday.

The two personnel, Muhammad Faisal, 30, and Muhammad Ashfaq, 35, were wounded when assailants riding a motorcycle threw some explosive material at the Pirabad police station.

SHO Abdul Moeed, who was later suspended, told The Express Tribune that both the policemen were on security duty at the police station when the assailants hurled a cracker bomb at the gates.

Both the injured men were taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors said that they were out of danger. A case was registered against unidentified persons while further investigation was under way.

Under threat

The Pirabad police station has been attacked at least a dozen times in as many months. Despite it being on high security alert, the station is still being targeted frequently.

Over one and a half dozen police stations in the city, including Pirabad, Orangi Town, Ittehad Town, Surjani, Iqbal Market, Landhi, Korangi, Sacchal, Sohrab Goth and Gulshan-e-Maymar have also been declared sensitive where attacks are expected.

Sources in the police department said that armed groups have planned to target the police stations in the city. “We have information that the armed groups have planned to attack with an explosive-laden vehicle,” said a senior police officer. “The entire police in the city have been asked to not bring any unclaimed vehicles to the police station without having them inspected by the bomb disposal squad first.”

Published in The Express Tribune, February 2^nd, 2014.