HYDERABAD, Feb 13: Low-intensity blasts in Hyderabad, Sanghar, Larkana and Naushahro Feroze districts caused minor damage to gas pipelines and railway tracks on Sunday.

Supply of gas to Hyderabad was affected by a blast near a gas pipeline and train service was hit in Naushahro Feroze district till the track was repaired.

Twin pipelines of the of Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) which supply gas to Hyderabad were slightly damaged by an explosion in Deh Shah Bukhari near here, affecting the supply of gas.

SSGC officials noticed the supply disruption at around 8.45am.

The explosion damaged the 16-inch diameter casing of the two pipelines, according to regional manager SSGC Rasheed Khanzada.

He said the pipeline coming from Jamshoro headquarters-3 to the city was being repaired. Gas supply was not suspended but its pressure was reduced.

He said the pipelines ran parallel to each other with separate casings that saved them from major damage. “But a dent is visible in the carrier line which is being repaired,” he said.

According to our Naushahro Feroze correspondent, a bomb exploded on tracks close to a railway crossing near Deparja railway station, damaging three feet of the tracks.

Malik Tahir Awan, an officer of the bomb disposal squad, told journalists that the bomb had one kilogram explosives. The tracks closed after the explosion were cleared after eight hours, causing Shah Rukan Alam Express train to stop at Lakha Road station and Hazara Express at Mehrabpur for two hours.

In another incident, saboteurs tried to blow up a pipeline in Lundo area near Shahdadpur.

According to APP the pipeline supplied gas to Karachi.

The explosive material was hurled at the pipeline from a motorcycle early in morning.

SSGC staff restored supply after repairing the protective cover. Our Larkana correspondent adds: The 20-inch main Sui-Karachi gas transmission line developed a dent after a low-intensity bomb went off near it in Khaidkar village.

Larkana DPO Mazhar Nawaz Shaikh said the damage was negligible. Some explosives wrapped in a polythene bag were hurled at the pipeline which went off after some time in the presence of watchmen.

On July 16, 2010, a similar blast took place in the same area, causing minor damage to the pipeline.

Police have arrested the night watchmen Asif Sethar, Rabdino Kalhoro, Ahmed Nawaz Selro and Pir Bakhsh Chandio.

The DPO accused Abdul Fatah Janveri of the Jeay Sindh Muttahida Mahaz of being behind the blast. He has been arrested.

The latest blasts are similar to a series of explosions that have taken place over the past few days in Kotri, Nawabshah, Mehrabpur and Ghotki, mostly hitting railway tracks.

A locally-made bomb ripped apart one-and-a-half foot of track at Kotri's goods yard near Kotri railway station on Saturday.

Earlier on Friday, some miscreants blew up railway tracks at five places in different parts of the province, damaging tracks and disrupting train services, officials said, adding similar explosions were reported from Nawabshah, Mehrabpur and Ghotki.

“A few pamphlets were found at the blast sites carrying the name of a hitherto unknown group, the Sindhudesh Liberation Army,” according to police.