Karachi Bomb Targets Pakistani Judge, Kills Others

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A roadside bomb targeting a senior judge has killed at least seven of those guarding him in southern Pakistan. Officials say the judge, Maqbool Baqir, was critically wounded in the June 26 attack in Karachi, the capital of Sindh Province. Police say Baqir was traveling to work when a bomb attached to a motorcycle went off near his vehicle. At least nine other people were wounded in the attack. The bomb also damaged nearby shops. "This is an unfortunate incident," Sindh Province's chief secretary, Muhammad Ijaz Chaudhry, spoke to reporters in Karachi about the bombing. "Police and Mr. Baqir were injured. We are here standing at the blast site. We provided police and paramilitary soldiers as security for Baqir. According to initial information the attacker used a [motorcycle] in the blast." The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack against the judge, citing his "un-Islamic decisions" against militants. The group also claimed responsibility for two other separate attacks in northwestern Pakistan. Also on June 26, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, a remote control roadside bomb hit the vehicle of a local tribal chief, killing the chieftain and two of his relatives. Police and local residents told RFE/RL’s Radio Mashaal that Malik Hashim Khan was traveling in the city of Bannu when the attack occurred. Khan's son and nephew also died in the blast. Khan was the head of a former local peace committee that was disbanded because of Taliban threats. The chieftain continued to play an active role in local councils to settle disputes. Meanwhile, in Peshawar, gunmen shot dead a senior police officer and wounded three others. Local police told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal that the gunmen opened fire on their police van in the Hayatabad area.