Lucky to be alive: Police officials narrowly escape deadly explosion

KARACHI:

A police post was badly damaged in a bomb blast on Saturday - a day after law enforcers killed seven militants in different parts of the city.

The assailants targeted the Khamiso Goth police post in Sohrab Goth, which falls within the jurisdiction of Super Highway Industrial Area police station. Fortunately, no law enforcement official was killed or injured in the attack.

The explosion occurred moments after the police personnel deployed at the post left to conduct routine snap-checks in the area. "We had just left the post when we heard a powerful blast behind us," one of the policemen told The Express Tribune. "We would have all probably died if we had left a few seconds later."

The police post was completely destroyed in the explosion while a police motorcycle was also partially damaged. Following the blast, a large contingent of law enforcers reached the area and cordoned off the site. The bomb disposal (BD) squad was also called in to collect evidence.

According to BD experts, the bomb was concealed in a shopping bag and was planted along the boundary wall of the post. "It was an improvised explosive device and was connected to a timer device," the BD expert explained. The bomb contained around one-and-a-half kilogrammes of explosives and ball bearings. "It would have injured anyone within a 70-meter range but fortunately no one was there." The area was declared clear by the BD experts after they had thoroughly scanned it for the presence of a second bomb.

Police officials believe that the attack may have been carried out by militants as a reaction to the targeted raids in which seven militants were killed a day earlier. "Thank God, all my jawans are safe and sound," said SHO Rana Haseeb.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2014.