JNN 14 Aug 2013 KARACHI: Twin hand grenade attacks killed at least two people and wounded 28 others belonging to Ismaili Muslim community, a Muslim Community which associates themselves with Shia Sect of Islam , in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi on Tuesday, officials said.

According to law enforcement agencies unidentified people riding on a motorcycle threw the Hand Grenade inside the Aga Khan Jamaat Khana situated on main Shara-e-Pakistan just as prayers were being held.

“A hand grenade fell inside worship place of Ismaili community, killing a woman and a child and wounding 26 others,” senior local police official, Aamir Farooqi told AFP.

The community follows billionaire Prince Karim Aga Khan, who lives in France, and considers him as spiritual leader.

A local intelligence official also confirmed the attack and casualties.

Following the explosion, extra contingents of law enforcers including Rangers and police reached the site and cordoned off the entire area. A unit of the bomb disposal squad was also called at the blast site.

Following initial investigations, BDS personnel said that that the explosive material was concealed in a tennis ball and contained around 200 grammes of explosives and ball bearings.

DSP Saleem Akhtar Siddiqui while talking to The Express Tribune said that a woman and a man who were sitting on the benches in the Jamaat Khana were wounded as a result of the blast.

“A hand grenade fell inside worship place of Ismaili community, killing a woman and a child and wounding 26 others,” senior local police official, Aamir Farooqi told AFP.

They were shifted to Aga Khan University Hospital for medical treatment.

Emergency has been imposed in the hospital where the deceased and injured have been shifted

Another hand Grenade was lobbed at a Ismaili Jamaat Khana in Metrovile area of SITE that injured two people, local police official Asif Ejaz Sheikh said.

Nobody has so far claimed responsibility for the attacks but Karachi, a city of 18 million people, is rife with murder and kidnappings and has been plagued for years by ethnic, sectarian and political violence.

Cracker explosions in Hyderabad and Nawabshah

There were also reports of cracker blasts in Hyderabad and Nawabshah.

The explosion in Nawabshah took place in Mohini Bazaar when unidentified men threw a cracker nearby and fled.

The explosions in Hyderabad took place near Hyder Chowk, Lateefabad and Civil Hospital.

The injured were shifted to the Civil Hospital for medical treatment. One person was killed during the explosions.

“They have mostly targeted stalls which were selling Pakistan flags,” said Bureau chief Hyderabad Junaid Khanzada.