Dawn.com invites its readers to share eye-witness accounts and photographs from the incident.
An explosion occurred on Karachi’s M.A. Jinnah road on Monday during a Shia procession commemorating Ashura.
For the city of lights, it’s the third blast in three days and the latest in a series of blasts that have taken place during the holy month of Muharram.
Photographs can be sent at photos@dawn.com
*In response to Dawn.com’s forum, an eyewitness, Waheed Zuberi, shares his photographs from the explosion during the Ashura procession on M.A. Jinnah Road on Monday afternoon.
Well, we as a nation should be ashamed of ourselves, as we don’t have tolerance and impose on other forcefully, going beyond to taking innocent lives, loot and plunder. We call ourselves as Muslims, Shame on us if this is what our religion teach us. I think this loot and arsenal was planned by the terrorists, Govt. and media should not call these roiter’s as shr pasand, rather they should be called as terrorists and be treated and tried as terrorists. If caught they be tried under the terrorist laws.
I can’t explain in words how painful it is! I personally think that who ever has done this coward act he is not even a human being he is the follower of Yazeed because Yazeed died hundreds of years before but his followers are still busy in attacking the innocent human beings. O ALLAH have mercy on the innocent peoples who died or injured in this attack.(Ameen)
First of all let my condolence to the innocent people who died in this blast.
What’s happening in Pakistan? I really don’t understand.
Agreed on all the comments posted by my fellow brother and sisters.
First of all please take one minute and read Suraah Fatiha for all the peoples who has lost their lives in this terror attack [Shaheeds]
Sad day for all the families who has lost their beloved ones, May Allah bless them with his blessing, and I am sure that they will get place in Heaven, as they were attending the Jaloos of our main pillars of ISLAM.
Our govt. should take some action, rather than blaming each other/ or the neighbor countries; now it’s high time. If they don’t react this time, it will create a big problem for our country, as people will be avoiding to attend any religious event in the country.
And the fact of Islam is – Qayamat will also be at the same day, [10 Mahurram].
All these suiciders are sick and mentally ill.
God please save us from these terror attacks.
Well by reading these comments one can understand that whoever is doing is not a Muslim they are evils and people who are sharing their comments are from all walks of life and they all agree on one point that this is a “Heinous act”, and everybody condemn that .
Living in USA and watching all these news our heart cries and we cannot even do anything just “Sabr”
I really want to tell those people who does the destruction after any incident like that please try to understand you people increase the tension.
Protest should be silent it should not be destructive.
May God give prosperity to my country.
This is an act of great violence which only targeted innocent men, women and children. No cause in the world can justify such heinous crime.
I am a sunni Muslim but that does not matter at all. Unless we all work together to defeat these forces of darkness we will not be able to succeed.
United we stand, for one and for all!
-Azhar
It is very sad to hear this. My condolences to all families who lost their beloved ones. The terrorism is going high every day and number of deaths increasing day by day. In my opinion we can only stop the terrorism only by proper education and employment. We should limit religion teaching and promote human values.
I will fully blame the Shia alims and leaders for allowing such a huge crowd to gather at M.A Jinnah Road. This procession has been part of Karachi since last 15 years or so and is carried out to show love of Hazrat Imam Hussain (A.S).
And now they have burnt several shops and allowed death of their 40 people.
Anyone who did not anticipate this blast or something of this nature to happen on 10th of Muharram must be a person living in fools paradise.
With all due respect to my Shia brothers, and when I say ‘brothers’, I mean it. Had it not been wise if the Shia religious leaders had either limited their religious rituals to the Imam bargahs or had called off the processions this year?
I know many of my Shia brothers might angrily say “Should we give in before these terrorists?” No, not at all. There are two ways to fight your enemy depending on the kind of war you are encountered with. One way of doing it is to hit your enemy right on the forehead. And the other way is to not let him hit you.
In the current scenario, I think second option would have proved fruitful. We are at war with extremist elements. This is the war of every Pakistani Shia, Sunni, Hindu, Christian, Parsi, Sikh and all those who believe in humanity.
M. Rafique Suriya
Imam Aba Abdillah Al-Hussain said:
Do not oppress the defenseless as ALLAH swt is their defender.
If Muslims are not safe in Muslim country, then why do we make allegation on non Islamic country for discriminating towards Muslim. We have to learn to clean our acts self. Here every day people are killed by fellow Muslim. But our govt. speaks of conspiracy story’s.
Who has done this act, is it again a conspiracy story or we our self to be blamed.
Arson and putting to fire the property of innocents on the Ashoura is the way of the Yazidis. Every Shia, the Ahlebaiti sunni, worth his name knows it. Putting the property of innocents to fire minutes after the carnage and before the dead and injured have received due attendance could only have been part of the plan of the killers, and the motivation to benefit from it.
Heart felt condolences with all the affected families.
Since humanity itself, there are always people who resort to destroying families and property.
Only solution is to learn yourself and educate as many people as you can. It is nothing but our own doings that we are seeing these horrible days. Result of years and years of keeping people uneducated and ignorant is now in front of us.
It’s painful.
Salaams,
Like some people suggested that we should do majalis at home is not the solution because this way we are admitting defeat from terrorism. If Imam Hussain (A.S) remained silent and did not take his family to kerbala we would not have the right Islam with us today. These processions, majalis and matam will never stop. I give my sincere condolences to the family of the shohada and I believe that Bibi Fatima (S.A) and The Prophet (P.B.U.H) will reward them here and here after. Labaik Ya Hussain (A.S)
As many have said in this Forum condemnation would’t help.
Society must curb its religiosity and the public display of it. Manazras should be banned. The kind of militancy we have only springs from excessive religiosity.
We must concentrate on the moral dimensions of Islam (honesty, tolerance, charity etc) or go down into prolonged ethnic and religious conflicts like medieval Europe. We already are in it.
If there were clear warnings of suicide attacks then all concerned authorities should have banned such processions for security reasons.
I must say that all those who knew that this was expected should have changed their plan and transform the procession to a low attendance symbolic one. Even when an air flight has single security warning, the journey is cancelled no matter how important it is, but in this case with so much clear indications no body suggested a better solution.
In my opinion all authorities and religious figures are squarely responsible for the loss of life and property.
The terrorists are kafirs who are taking lives of innocent human beings at the will of evil forces through out the world.
I was at the scene of the blast when it took place. Police arrived at the scene within 5 minutes of the blast but people at that time were already flared up because of this obvious security lapse. Within minutes of arriving police and rangers retreated from the scene of the blast and left the entire place to burn down. If police and rangers wanted, they could have easily controlled this calamity and cordoned off the scene of the blast, but instead they decided to flee from the scene.
It is very sad, innocent Muslims are being killed by the terrorists – who are not the followers of any religion, whose religion is making money and money only. Whole of the country is in the grip of such terrorists, each of us will have to work for unity among us as a single nation – the Pakistani Muslim Nation, and will not leave any room for such terrorists – the agents of evil nations. Each of us should extend full support to our security agencies, our Police, Para-military Forces, Pakistan Army, Air Force, Navy are playing vital role in eliminating these evil elements. We salute to our security agencies and we are 100% confident in their capabilities. We pray Allah Taala to help us in eliminating these evil forces from Pakistan,
Aameen.
This is brutal. I don’t understand what’s happening to our country. There is nobody to look after. Just imagine whatever these culprits are doing they are not among us. They are jallad. I don’t understand what Govt. of Pakistan is doing. They are not paralyzing Karachi only they are destroying Pakistan. Mr. President and Mr. Prime Minister, please wake up and do something to make Fearless Pakistan.
The suggestion about not having a procession is a faulty argument. If we continue with this rational, the next thing will be not having Friday prayers, no congressional prayers at the mosques, no shopping markets, bazaars, no public event of any kind.
We can’t defend ourselves by giving in. Though it is a comforting thought that once we give up this or that, then that will end the loss of life, but that’s a very slippery slope.
“As a Muslim Shia I am very much upset by what happened yesterday as it was something not acceptable by any means, a day on which we mourn the Shahadat of IMAAM HUSSAIN (A.S) on that day this kind of act is not acceptable.”
Yes as far as security measures are concerned I find no fault of police or rangers. How can security agencies provide security for three or four days continuously. Our ulema’s should come in front and should not allow people to come in such large groups on roads.
We must remain united as patience and tolerance is the main essence of Karbala.
May Almighty bless the departed souls and give courage to the grieved families,
We have to face this new form of Yazidiat with the seerat of Hussain (A.S).
This is the only way forward and only weapon we have,
May God help and guide us all.
Amen
Ofcourse, it was a very tragic incident for the nation.
Regarding the opinion of banning of processions, I want to say that such processions are also held in other countries even in non-Muslim countries where no one attacks them.
Previously, suicide bombings are so occurred on non-religious gatherings and even in Mosques as well as Imambarghahs i.e. closed gatherings. Therefore I think by just banning of processions is not the solution.
Regarding hoardings, I don’t think they are provocative, they just citing Aahadees. Anyhow some consensus should also be made regarding this.
In the end, I would like to say that we all have to act together for the betterment of the country and nation.