KARACHI: A loud explosion rocked Karachi’s congested New Town neighbourhood on Wednesday, killing three people including the chief security guard of President Asif Ali Zardari, police said. Eleven others were injured in the explosion which took place in the heart of the city, located less than a kilometre from the Qauid’s mausoleum. “Three people, including the president’s chief security officer Bilal Sheikh, were killed in the bombing,” said Superintendent Police Usman Bajwa. Bilal Sheikh was the chief security officer of the president and well as an active worker of the Pakistan People’s Party, the ruling party in Sindh province.
A spokesman for the Bilawal House, the residence of President Zardari in Karachi, confirmed Sheikh’s death.
Bajwa said the attack was a suicide bombing targeting Sheikh’s vehicle. “The suicide bombing was an attack on Bilal Sheikh,” he said.
Officials said the wounded included six police officers and an FIA personnel. The injured were shifted to a local hospital where a state of emergency was imposed.
The explosion comes on the eve of start of the holy Muslim month of Ramazan, due to be observed in Pakistan from Thursday.
This is a developing story and will be updated as soon as further reports come in.
