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Mourners Gather in Karachi After Deadly Bombings

   VOA News 06 February 2010
   Pakistani  Shiite  Muslims  carry  coffins  of the victims of Friday's
   bombing during a funeral prayer in Karachi, Pakistan, 06 Feb 2010

Photo: AP

   Pakistani  Shi'ite  Muslims  carry  coffins of the victims of Friday's
   bombing during a funeral prayer in Karachi, Pakistan, 06 Feb 2010

   Thousands  of  mourners  gathered  in  the  southern Pakistani city of
   Karachi Saturday amid high security to attend funerals for some of the
   31 people killed in two bomb attacks the day before.
   The death toll rose as several people died overnight.
   Some  of  the  bombing  victims  were  marking  the  end of 40 days of
   mourning  for  the  Prophet  Muhammad's  grandson.  The Shi'ite ritual
   takes place each year.
   Karachi  has  been  the  scene  of sporadic violence between Sunni and
   Shi'ite  Muslims  in  the  past.   The  city was tense Saturday.  Many
   businesses were closed.
   Officials  say  a suicide bomber on a motorcycle rammed a bus carrying
   Shi'ite  Muslim  pilgrims  Friday.   Later in the day, a bomb exploded
   outside  the  entrance  to  the  emergency ward of a hospital treating
   victims of the first blast.
   Police say they defused a third bomb at the hospital.
   Karachi also had an upsurge in ethnic violence in the past week.
   At least 26 people were killed in clashes between activists from rival
   political parties - the Muttahid Qaumi Movement and the Awami National
   Party,  which  traditionally  gather  support  from  different  ethnic
   groups.

   Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.

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