A suspected suicide bomber on a motorcycle killed 12 Shi´ites in Karachi on Friday. Just hours later, another blast occurred at a hospital where the wounded were being treated, killing 13.
The bomb wounded about 100 people standing and sitting near the ambulances parked outside the hospital.
The attacks came during the Shi´ite month of mourning and it was not clear if they were meant to trigger sectarian violence or create the impression that the government was incapable of stabilising nuclear-armed Pakistan.
Pakistani Taliban have carried out waves of bombings at crowded markets and army and police facilities, killing hundreds of people since October in a bid to topple the pro-American government of unpopular President Asif Ali Zardari.
The violence is bound to raise further questions about the effectiveness of security crackdowns on resilient al Qaeda-backed Taliban militants at a time when Washington is pushing Pakistan to help stabiliZE neighbouring Afghanistan.
Carnage in the home of Pakistan´s stock exchange and main port could further discourage investors, who have watched the Taliban spread their violent campaign from strongholds in lawless areas near the Afghan border to major cities, including an attack on a mosque near the headquarters of the powerful military. |