Bomb targeting senior judge kills 7 in Pakistan

A senior Pakistani judge was on Wednesday critically injured while seven people were killed after the Taliban in an assassination attempt targetted him with a motorcycle bomb during morning rush hour from Karachi.

Justice Maqbool Baqar, senior Judge of Sindh high court, was heading to the court when the bomb believed to be attached to a motorbike exploded near his motorcade. At least 15 people, including Baqar, were also injured in the blast, a police officer said. The injured include four police personnel and a paramilitary Rangers officer.

Baqar was shifted to a private hospital for treatment. The police said that driver of the judge was among the dead besides four security personnel.

"The bomb was apparently set off by a remote device and the explosion injured bystanders and damaged vehicles and bikes in the security convoy," Senior Superintendent of Police South Aamir said.

"The convoy included police mobiles and rangers and those killed include four security officials and the injured two females who were bystanders when the explosion took place," he said.

Sharjeel Memon, information minister in SindhProvince of which Karachi is the capital, confirmed seven people died in the blast.

A police mobile van and two motorbikes were damaged in the blast. Deputy inspector General Ami Shaikh said that six teams have been formed to investigate the attack. The Taliban took responsibility for the attack, media reports said.