PAKISTAN: Funeral held for victims of explosion on bus carrying policemen heading for morning duty, killing 13 and wounding 58

Record ID: 354116

  • Title: PAKISTAN: Funeral held for victims of explosion on bus carrying policemen heading for morning duty, killing 13 and wounding 58
  • Date: 13th February 2014
  • Summary: SHRAPNEL HOLES IN BODY OF BUS RESCUE WORKERS STANDING AROUND SKELETON OF EXPLOSIVE-LADEN CAR THAT WAS USED IN ATTACK RESCUE WORKERS TAKING BODIES OUT OF MORTUARY BODIES BEING PLACED IN AMBULANCE BODY COVERED IN WHITE SHEET BODIES LYING INSIDE AMBULANCE RELATIVE CRYING AMBULANCES DRIVING OFF PARAMILITARY SOLDIERS GUARDING ROAD LEADING TO POLICE LINES' FUNERAL GROUND RELATIV
  • Embargoed: 28th February 2014 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Pakistan
  • Country: Pakistan
  • Topics: Crime / Law Enforcement
  • Reuters ID: LVA67ZKGZCLCGS4I5TQQ7V3803TW
  • Story Text: A funeral service was held on Thursday (February 13) evening in Karachi for 13 policemen killed when their bus was targeted in an explosion.
    At least 58 others were wounded in the bus attack, which coincided with peace talks between representatives of the government and Taliban insurgents in the capital, Islamabad.
    Pakistani Taliban spokesman Shahidullah Shahid claimed responsibility for the blast in a phone call to Reuters and said it was retaliation for the killing of Taliban prisoners.
    Ten wounded policemen were in critical condition, said Dr Seemin Jamali, head of the emergency department at Karachi's Jinnah Medical Center.
    It was unclear whether the blast was set off by a suicide bomber or a roadside bomb, said senior police officer Rao Anwar.
    The bombing followed an attack on the home of a slain policemen that killed nine members of a pro-government militia on Wednesday (February 12) and a grenade attack on a cinema in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar on Tuesday (February 11) that killed 10 people and wounded 16.
    Neither of those attacks was claimed by the Taliban.

    "We (provincial government) had said that if talks had to be held with the Taliban, they should first be asked to lay down their arms. After that the government could negotiate with them. As it is, on the one hand talks are going on, and on the other, attacks are being carried out on innocent people and on our law-enforcement agencies," provincial minister for information, Sharjeel Memon, told Reuters during the funeral service for police killed on Thursday.
    Pakistani Taliban insurgents have been battling for years to topple the government in Islamabad, banish democracy and establish Islamist rule. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif wants to negotiate a settlement and stop the fighting.
    But many Pakistanis have questioned whether negotiations can stop the violence. Some experts said any Taliban demands will be illegal under the Pakistani constitution.
    Others note Pakistan has many militant groups that are not taking part in talks and frequently target civilians. The Taliban itself has many factions and some experts worry it may continue to carry out attacks under a different name.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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