The Islamic State (IS) has reportedly claimed responsibility for the deadly attack against members of the Ismaili community in Karachi, which claimed the lives of 43 people and left 13 others injured.
The militant group took to twitter to announce that they were responsible for the attacks, the Daily Mail reported.
“Thanks be to Allah, 43 apostates were killed and around 30 were wounded in an attack carried out by Islamic State soldiers on a bus transporting Shiite Ismaili infidels in the city of Karachi,” the IS said in an Arabic statement.
Leaflets claiming Islamic State’s responsibility at the scene of the attack were also reportedly recovered by the police. The number of those injured is far higher in the IS estimate.
Meanwhile, a splinter group of the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Jundullah, made a separate claim about being responsible for the killings, which took place when armed men opened fire inside a bus carrying the victims near Safoora Chowk in Karachi.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has sought a report into the incident and extended condolences to those who had lost their loved ones, according to the Dawn.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the incident and sympathized with the victims while calling for “stern action” against the terrorists.
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, too, expressed grief over the killings. He also said that the incident raised questions over the provincial government’s ability to maintain peace in the province. He urged the government to provide complete medical facilities to the wounded and take strict action against those responsible for the attack .
Pakistan has witnessed a series of sectarian violence in recent years, particularly against the Shia community, of which the Ismaili community is a sub-sect. They make around 20 percent of the nation’s Muslim population. (ANI)