12 May 2004	Wednesday	21 Rabi-ul-Awwal 1425

KARACHI, May 11: The death toll in the Hyderi mosque blast rose to 15 as another victim of the blast succumbed to his wounds at a private hospital. The deceased has been identified as Nihal Zaidi, a resident of Gulistan-i-Jauhar.

Allama Hasan Turabi, a leader of Tehrik-i-Islam, said that the funeral prayers of the deceased were offered at Mehfil-i-Murtaza and he was buried at a local graveyard. Earlier, 14 people were killed and 96 injured in a powerful bomb explosion at Hyderi mosque inside the compound of Sindh Madressatul Islam on Friday.

Another injured Sakha Ali is in a serious condition and is on ventilator, doctors said. Allama Turabi disputed some earlier statements which claimed that it was a suicide bombing.

"The law enforcement agencies have changed their stereo-typed statements and now they declare every blast a suicide bombing. Earlier, they used to involve RAW in each and every incident of terrorism."

Meanwhile, investigators found a burnt police belt in two pieces and a melted police badge in the wreckage of the Hyderi mosque bomb explosion, believing that the suicide bomber could have been in a police uniform, well-placed sources in the police investigation said.

They said two witnesses, an officer in a bank and an employee in an insurance company, substantiated the presence of a man in police uniform. According to witnesses, who recorded their statements with the investigators, the man in police uniform was also carrying a briefcase.

The investigators decided to prepare a sketch of that man with the help of witnesses.