The Pakistani government has constituted a four-member police team to probe into the two blasts in the procession of Pakistan People's Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto early Friday morning at Sharea Faisal in the southern port city of Karachi, the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) reported on Friday.

 

The twin blasts took place near the caravan carrying Bhutto near Karsaz in Karachi, leaving 138 people dead and over 500 others injured, the APP quoted hospital sources as saying. However, a statement of the police said the death toll stood at 114 and 325 others were injured.

 

The police said that elaborate arrangements had been made for the security of the procession. The police had specially deployed six commando mobiles and two jammer vehicles for the security of bullet-proof truck carrying Bhutto and other senior party leaders of PPP.

 

Aside from these security measures, a large number of PPP workers around the truck were also moving along on foot and in vehicles, the police said.

 

According to the police, the two blasts took place on the left side of the police's security mobiles and as a result the vehicles were highly impacted and a number of police personnel on them either lost their lives or suffered grievous injuries.

 

Bhutto departed from Dubai and landed at the Karachi airport on Thursday afternoon after eight years of self-imposed exile, receiving warm welcome from hundreds of thousands of PPP workers and supporters in the city.

 

The blasts occurred when Bhutto was on her way to the Quaid's mazar where she had planned to address the general public. Bhutto survived the blasts unhurt and arrived at her house eventually.

 

(Xinhua News Agency October 20, 2007)