Pakistan: 5 militants held in Karachi, another terror attack averted

Karachi: Pakistani police today claimed to have averted a major terrorist attack during Muharram in the southern port city of Karachi with the arrest of five Taliban militants. “These terrorists were arrested from Kunwari colony in Manghopir and we have recovered atleast 60 kilograms of explosives and other weapons from them,” senior CID official Umar Khatab told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_1784667” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP.[/caption] He said the five terrorists were planning to attack processions on the 10th day of Muharram known as “Ashura”. “We have averted a major terrorist plan and it is clear that these militant groups have been active to carry out subversive activities during Muharram,” Khatab added. The arrests came on the day when a suicide bomber detonated a powerful bomb near Wagah border today, killing at least 55 people including 11 women and three security personnel and injuring nearly 200 others. The blast took place minutes after the popular flag - lowering ceremony at the main Indo-Pak land border crossing. Al-Qaeda affiliated militant group Jandullah, which was behind a suicide bombing that killed at least 78 Christians at a church in Peshawar September last year, has claimed responsibility for the attack. Karachi is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in Pakistan and the capital of Sindh province. PTI