KAARCHI, March 23: Two rockets that were fired in the Malir area on Wednesday landed in as many localities, with one of them damaging the outer wall of a local mosque while the other remaining unexploded, police said. They said that the first rocket hit the outer wall of the Jama Masjid Mustafa near Baraf Khana with the result that a nearly eight-foot structure collapsed.

However, no one injured in the attack.

“There are also some shops along the mosque but they all remained safe and intact,” said Sub-Inspector Muhammad Ali, the SHO of the Saudabad police station.

“The target of the rocket attack is not clear. The attack caused panic in the area for a brief period but the situation turned normal soon after.”

Shouting slogans, some enraged people took to the streets in protest against the attack on the mosque. They lit a bonfire, but the elders of the area, local political leaders and officials of the law-enforcement agencies reached there and managed to defuse the situation.

Meanwhile, another rocket landed on agricultural land in the Khazdarabad area within the remit of the Malir City police station.

“The second rocket landed at Fateh Ali Bagh but did not explode. Later, it emerged that both the rockets were fired from Dur Muhammad Goth in the Malir City area,” said an official.

Though the sources said that the Rangers and police carried out joint raids in the area, the officials denied arrest of any suspect. The police officials said that they collected initial information and were close to trace the links behind the twin attacks.

The Saudabad police later registered a case (FIR 80/2011) under Sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with Intent to insult the religion of any class) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code, Sections 3/4 of the Explosives Act and 7/8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997.

Similarly, the Malir City police also registered a separate case (FIR 57/2011) under Sections 3/4 of the Explosives Act and 7/8 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 1997 against unknown persons.