An explosion has rocked a Shiite Muslim procession in Bahawalnagar, Pakistan, on one of Islam’s holiest days, killing three and injuring 50 according to reports with the attacker allegedly detained by police.
On Thursday, a procession in Bahawalnagar, Pakistan, marking the Day of Ashura, a significant date in the Muslim calendar, was the target of a grenade attack. Media reports differ, although it is believed that at least three died in the attack and a further 50 were injured.
Videos shared on social media show a scene of devastation, with police and emergency service personnel rushing to secure the area and provide care.
Pakistan: B0mb hurled on Muharram procession in Bahawalnagar.
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) August 19, 2021
Atleast 5 k!lled, more than 30 injured pic.twitter.com/Djw0iUFXS4
🚨5 killed and 35 others injured in a bomb blast (grenade attack) targeting #Shia muslims during Ashura procession in #Bahawalnagar, city of Punjab (Pak). ISPR bots claiming it as cracker attack. Just Paki things.🤦🏻♂️
— 7ru7h (@7ru7h_1) August 19, 2021
pic.twitter.com/SqkFSULtBq
Khawar Shafqat, a local Shia leader, told the Associated Press that the attack had taken place as the procession was passing through the city’s Muhajir Colony neighbourhood.
Media reports suggest that the perpetrator was detained by police. A video shared online appears to show a topless man, covered in blood and with his hands chained together, in police custody.
The alleged attacker who hurled a cracker on ashora procession in Bahawalnagar has been arrested by police. The cracker blast reportedly killed five mourners and several injured.#bahawalnagar #عاشوراء#عاشوراءِ_حسینیؑ
— Syeda المسلمہ (@SyedaZ_) August 19, 2021
pic.twitter.com/Yc67YdZqn5
Police in the city, which sits in the east of the Punjab province, confirmed the incident. Witnesses claim that tensions are boiling over in the city, with the Shiite population protesting the attack and demanding retribution.
Authorities cut mobile phone services on Wednesday ahead of the Ashura festival, adding challenges to communications.
Ashura is one of the holiest days in the Muslim calendar as followers of Shiite Islam commemorate the death of Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala.
Shiite Muslims are a minority in Pakistan, where they are viewed by distain by many hardliner Sunni extremists.
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