At least one woman was killed and eleven, including children, were injured when an improvised explosive device (IED) went off in the western city of Karachi, officials confirmed, making it the third bombing case of the month in Pakistan’s largest city of 15 million people.

IED, reportedly planted in a motorcycle, exploded late Monday evening in a busy market of the crowded city, according to the Express Tribune.

The bombing, which came almost three weeks after a suicide bombing killed four, including four Chinese nationals in the city, was believed to be intended to target a police vehicle. Significantly, it was the second bombing of the day.

Raja Umer Khattab, a senior counter-terror official, said that ball-bearing was used in making the explosives, adding that an IED was installed on the motorcycle. The official further said that he saw a resemblance between the explosions that took place in Saddar recently and the Kharadar areas today, according to a report in The Express Tribune. 

Condemning the blast, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed authorities to immediately arrest the culprits involved in the deadly incident, and assured the Sindh government of the federal government’s all-out support for defeating the “menace of terrorism”.

In Pakistan, the security environment has deteriorated rapidly, especially in the few months, as the country sees a spike in violence, including bombings. Last month, three Chinese nationals were among four dead when a Baloch female suicide bomber detonated herself just outside the Karachi University (KU) Campus.

In a statement issued just after the Monday explosion, Sharif said, “All provinces should improve security arrangements to protect the lives and property of the people.” Last week, all Chinese faculty working at the Confucius Centre at the KU left the country amid growing threat perceptions.

On Monday, Pakistan’s PM Sharifian dialed Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and assured him that the government of Pakistan was determined to take all necessary measures for enhanced security and the safety of all Chinese nationals working in the country.

Significantly, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan’s newly appointed foreign minister, is also scheduled to visit Beijing this week.
(SAM)