Hand grenade attacks kill two Ismailis, wound 28 in Karachi - AFP and DAWN.COM

KARACHI: Twin hand grenade attacks killed at least two people and wounded 28 others belonging to Ismaili Muslim community, a faction of Shia Islam, in Pakistan's port city of Karachi on Tuesday, officials said.

The first attack took place in the Karimabad neighbourhood during rush hour, creating panic in the area.

“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.

Another hand grenade targeting Ismailis worshipping in the western district of Metroville 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.

Meanwhile, at least two people were injured in as many hand grenade and home-made bomb attacks in Karachi’s twin city Hyderabad. One of the attacks was reportedly targeted a stall, setup to sell national flags in the wake of Independence Day celebrations for August 14.