KARACHI Aug 18 2001: A teenaged boy lost his life and four others were wounded when unidentified assailants, riding on a motorbike, hurled a hand grenade on the car of a former Pesh Imam of Masjid-e-Shah-e-Khorrasan, in the Soldier Bazaar police precinct late Friday evening.

Witnesses said that 86-year-old Maulana Hamid Hussain Rizvi was on his way in his car (S-6985) along with his son Sajid Hussain from Masjid-o-Imambargah-e-Shah-e-Khorrasan after offering Namaz-e-Maghrib at around 7:45 pm. As soon as he reached near Fatima Bai Hospital on Patel Para Road, two unknown assailants riding on a motorbike tossed a hand grenade at the car, which bounced and exploded on the pavement, causing wounds to five people including a minor cyclist and Sajid, besides shattering the windscreen. The armed motorbike riders fled after the attack.

The incident created panic in the vicinity and later people of the adjacent lanes gathered there and started shouting slogans against the government and a rival religious organisation. However, police officials and the community elders pacified the youths and cleared the road.

All the injured, except the boy who was identified as 13-year-old Madni Iqbal, were rushed to a nearby private hospital while the boy was taken to the JPMC where doctors pronounced him dead. The other injured were identified as Aamir Ramzan, Muhammad Hanif and Muhammad Amin. Sources said that the police, on the complaint of Hamid Rizvi, lodged a case on Saturday against the unknown accused.