On 11 April 2006, a bombing at Nishtar Park in Karachi, Pakistan resulted in the deaths of at least 49 people and injured around a hundred others.[1][2][3][4] At the time of the blast, a mawlid ceremony to mark the birthday of the Prophet Mohammed organised by the Barelvi Jamaat Ahle Sunnat was taking place, in which tens of thousands of followers were gathered.

Among the dead were several Barelvi religious figures, including the senior leadership of the Jamaat Ahle Sunnat and the Sunni Tehreek. The notable leaders included Chief of Sunni Tehreek, Maulana Muhammad Abbas Qadri, central leaders Maulana Akram Qadri, Maulana Iftikhar Ahmad Bhatti, Dr. Qadeer Ahmad and Haji Haneef Billo, Hafiz Muhammad Taqi of other parties.[5] Three men said to belong to the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were indicted for the crime.[6]

References

  1. ^ "Bomb carnage at Karachi prayers". BBC. 11 April 2006.
  2. ^ "KARACHI: Nishtar Park tragedy toll rises". Dawn. 21 April 2006.
  3. ^ "Karachi bomb attack leaves at least 45 Sunni worshippers dead". The Guardian. 12 April 2006.
  4. ^ "50 Killed in Bombing at a Sunni Prayer Service in Karachi". The New York Times. 12 April 2006.
  5. ^ Special Coverage of Nishtar Park bombing, Jang Group Online
  6. ^ Three LJ activists indicted in Nishtar Park blast case, Dawn (newspaper), 2 September 2009

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