Bombs Strike Two Buses Carrying Navy Workers in Karachi

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Two bombs exploded on Tuesday next to two buses transporting employees of the Pakistan Navy in the southern port city of Karachi, killing at least four people, according to a senior Pakistani naval official. At least 56 other people were wounded.

A junior naval officer, one civilian doctor and two other naval civilian employees were killed in the early morning rush-hour attacks that targeted two buses, said Commodore Irfan ul Haq. He said it was too early to say why the naval buses were targeted.

No one claimed responsibility immediately, but Taliban insurgents and militant groups affiliated with the organization have repeatedly targeted civilians and military installations across the country. Karachi is the country’s largest city and considered the financial and commercial capital.

The first blast occurred in an upscale neighborhood, DHA Phase II, at 7:20 a.m. on Tuesday, police officials said.

The bomb was planted on a motorcycle that was idling by a main road and exploded as the naval bus passed, police said. The blast killed the junior naval officer and the doctor, injured 37 other passengers, destroyed the bus and shattered the window panes of nearby houses.

Minutes later, a second blast went off in Baldia Town, a relatively impoverished neighborhood in Karachi. The remote-controlled bomb was hidden in rubble alongside a road, according to police. This second blast killed the two other civilian naval employees and injured 19 others.

The blasts came just days after Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, the army chief, claimed to have broken the back of militants in the country. The army chief had made the claim on Saturday while addressing a ceremony of cadets at the Kakul military academy in the country’s north.

“It is a powerful message by the militants,” said Omar R. Quraishi, opinion pages editor of The Express Tribune, a Karachi-based, English-language daily newspaper. “The message is that we may be on the run, but we can strike at will and choose targets of our choosing.”

Analysts said that the commuter buses used by officers and staff of the navy were a relatively easy target as they travel on main thoroughfares with little or no security. Military installations, on the other hand, have become relatively difficult to attack because of stringent security measures.