The Pakistani government has constituted a four-member police
team to probe into the two blasts in the procession of Pakistan
People's Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto early Friday morning at
Sharea Faisal in the southern port city of Karachi, the Associated
Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Friday.
The twin blasts took place near the caravan carrying Bhutto near
Karsaz in Karachi, leaving 138 people dead and over 500 others
injured, the APP quoted hospital sources as saying. However, a
statement of the police said the death toll stood at 114 and 325
others were injured.
The police said that elaborate arrangements had been made for
the security of the procession. The police had specially deployed
six commando mobiles and two jammer vehicles for the security of
bullet-proof truck carrying Bhutto and other senior party leaders
of PPP.
Aside from these security measures, a large number of PPP
workers around the truck were also moving along on foot and in
vehicles, the police said.
According to the police, the two blasts took place on the left
side of the police's security mobiles and as a result the vehicles
were highly impacted and a number of police personnel on them
either lost their lives or suffered grievous injuries.
Bhutto departed from Dubai and landed at the Karachi airport on
Thursday afternoon after eight years of self-imposed exile,
receiving warm welcome from hundreds of thousands of PPP workers
and supporters in the city.
The blasts occurred when Bhutto was on her way to the Quaid's
mazar where she had planned to address the general public. Bhutto
survived the blasts unhurt and arrived at her house eventually.
(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2007)
