Iran Press/ Asia: Three people were killed and at least 59 others, including children injured, as a Terrorist bomb blast at the main Ashura procession in Bahawalnagar, the city of Punjab province.
The condition of the dozens injured is stated critical. The terrorist bomb blast occurred on Jail Road, and police apprehended a suspect.
Shia Muslims in Punjab were marking Ashura on Thursday, the 10th day of the holy month of Muharram, when attacked by terrorist blast like every year amid Shia religious processions, a flashpoint for sectarian violence. However, provincial police said. Security was high on Thursday.
The injured have been shifted to a nearby hospital while a heavy contingent of police and Rangers reached the spot. The area has been sealed off, and an emergency has been declared in the hospitals.
Police said, when the procession of Ashura reached Jail Road, there was an explosion.
The procession was coming from Imambargah Jamiat-ul-Zahra. More than 400 mourners were present in the procession.
Social media videos showed bleeding victims lying on the road being helped by members of the public.
The procession later resumed, and people continued with the ceremonies, the officials said.
Sectarian violence – particularly by Sunni hardliners – against the Shia, who make up roughly 20 percent of Pakistan’s 220 million people, has erupted in fits and bursts for decades in Pakistan.
Anti-Shia armed groups have bombed shrines and targeted Ashura processions in attacks that have killed thousands.
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