COAS inquires after health of victims of Shrine blast

KARACHI (92 News) – Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif on Sunday visited Civil Hospital in Karachi and inquired after the health of those injured in suicide terrorist attack at Shah Noorani Shrine in Khuzdar. Corps Commander Karachi and DG Rangers also accompanied him on the occasion. Earlier, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Corps Commander Karachi Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar and Director General Sindh Rangers Major General Bilal Akbar visited Civil Hospital in Karachi and enquired about the health of those injured in the blast. The dignitaries also directed the administration to provide best medical facilities to the victims of the blast. The Sindh CM admitted that there is shortage of doctors in the province. The provincial administration has beefed up security for the Urs of Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai after the blast at the Shah Noorani shrine. Previously, a huge explosion claimed by militant group Islamic State ripped through a shrine in Khuzdar yesterday, killing at least 52 people and wounding scores. The blast at the Shah Noorani shrine occurred while hundreds of people were inside. Provincial Home Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said 52 people were killed and that more than 105, including many women and children, were wounded. "Every day, around sunset, there is a dhamaal (ritual dance) here, and there are large numbers of people who come for this," said Nawaz Ali, the shrine's custodian. The shrine is located in Baluchistan province about 100 km (60 miles) north of the port city of Karachi, to where rescue official Hakeem Nasi told Geo TV dozens of wounded were being moved. Many had travelled hundreds of kilometers to pay their respects to the saint and seek blessings. Unlike at mosques in Pakistan, which often limit access to women, in Sufism both genders are permitted to take part in many rituals, though they are sometimes separated by partition walls. Witnesses said problems were compounded by the fact that it took several hours for rescue services to reach the remote shrine, located on a hilltop in the Khuzdar district of Balochistan several kilometers away from surrounding villages, with poor mobile network coverage.