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The mangled vehicle of Maqbool Baqir, a senior antiterrorism judge in Karachi, is inspected by Pakistani investigators after it was struck by a remote-controlled bomb on June 26, 2013. The Pakistani Taliban were quick to claim credit for the attack. Photo source: AFP |
Sindh High Court Justice Maqbool Baqir barely survived a devastating roadside bombing as he traveled in a secured convoy near the Burns Road area in the sprawling city of Karachi this morning. The blast, which was triggered by remote control and included explosives tethered to a parked motorcycle, tore through Baqir’s SUV and killed 12 people, most of them Baqir’s security guards. An additional three police vans and two motorcycles were also damaged in the powerful explosion.
Baqir was rushed to a local hospital with severe head injuries caused by the bomb, which included ball bearings used as shrapnel. Hospital officials have since stated that Baqir remains in serious condition and is undergoing surgery for his wounds.
The Pakistani Taliban were quick to claim credit for the attack. More details were provided by the Express Tribune:
The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said that the Taliban also carried out attacks on the local peace council chief in Bannu and a police officer in Peshawar.
“We claim responsibility for the attack on the Sindh High Court judge as he had delivered verdicts against Muslims and particularly the Mujahideen,” the TTP spokesman told The Express Tribune via phone.
He said the judge was also part of the “secular system” and the attack was completely in line with the Taliban policy to target all those who are part of the system.
Baqir, reportedly known for his honesty, was involved in a series of counterterrorism cases and was a key player in the recently established “antiterrorism courts,” a judiciary especially designed to impart quick punishments to convicted terrorists.
Baqir has faced a number of threats from militant groups, most recently from the Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, a banned terrorist organization, according to Pakistan’s Dawn.
