Bomb targets SHC acting chief justice, 9 killed, 15 injured.

KARACHI: Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has claimed responsibility of the attack on Sindh High Court Justice Baqar Maqbool’s convoy on Wednesday, Dawn.com reported.
Stating the reason behind targeted attack on Justice Maqbool, Ehsan said that the judge was targeted for “anti-Taliban and anti-mujahideen decisions”. He also warned of further attacks on the judiciary.
Earlier in the morning, 12 people were killed and 14 others sustained injuries, including a senior judge who was critically injured in a bomb explosion at Burns Road, Karachi.
Police said Sindh High Court Justice Baqar Maqbool’s convoy was the target of the attackers. They added that explosive material was planted on a motorbike.
“He received threats from the Taliban and Lashkar-e-Jhangvi. Other militants had also threatened him,” police official Ameer Sheikh told AFP.
The motorbike was parked near a mosque and exploded as soon as the convoy passed by it.
Police and rescue personnel soon reached the area and the injured – including Justice Maqbool – were shifted to nearby hospitals. The affected area was sealed for initial investigation.
The injured include four police personnel and a Rangers officer. The police officials are said to be in critical condition.
Justice Maqbool was declared out of danger after he was given medical aid at the Civil hospital. He was then shifted to a private hospital near the Stadium Road.
Due to the intensity of the blast, three police mobile vans and two motorbikes were badly damaged.
The dead include the SHC judge’s driver, guard, a police and a Rangers officer.
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon, Chief Secretary Sindh and senior police officials alsovisited the area. People were requested to stay away from the crime scene.
Justice Maqbool is a senior judge of SHC and is currently working as acting chief justice. He has worked on several cases involving militants, serving as a judge in special anti-terrorism courts set up in Pakistan to hand down quick judgements in terror cases.
The justice had refused to take oath under the Provisional Constitutional Order in 2007 and took active part in the Lawyers’ Movement.

link: http://tribune.com.pk/story/568528/5-killed-12-injured-in-karachi-blast/