KARACHI, Aug 19: At least 127 bomb blasts in the city have caused as many as 914 casualties since 1990.

According to data compiled by Dawn, the 127 bomb blasts, caused by explosive devices of varying intensities, left 140 persons dead and another 774 injured in the past 11 years and seven months.

The explosives used during this period ranged from hand-grenades, often Russian-made, to home-made incendiary devices. They were, in most cases, hurled on places such as mosques, Imambargahs and police stations.

Even hospitals, including Civil Hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, were made targets by terrorists. Explosive devices went off inside or outside these major hospitals, creating a sense of insecurity among the public.

One man was killed and three others were injured when a bomb exploded at the children’s ward at the JPMC some 11 years ago. Home-made pipe-bomb was used in a blast outside Civil Hospital on Sept 24, 1999 which damaged several vehicles parked outside the hospital.

During the past 11 years, the City Courts, the Karachi Stock Exchange and newspapers offices were also targeted.

Improvised time-bombs, containing various quantities of explosives, were also used in terrorist attacks.

Explosive devices planted in garbage dumps and junk dealer shops also claimed several lives.

In some cases, terrorists employed plastic explosive of one to two kg attached to detonators. One such device went off outside the office of the District East police chief on May 5, 2000, which left one person dead and six others injured.

In several incidents, children playing outside their houses were injured when they unwittingly picked up or touched explosive devices concealed in seemingly innocuous packets.

Karachi has witnessed a spate of explosions on public transport vehicles, claiming several lives and leaving hundreds of people injured.

Often minibuses of busy routes were targeted by terrorists who planted explosive devices on them with a view to causing maximum damage.

A new trend of suspected suicide bombing came to the fore in 2000 following an explosion at a newspaper office on M. A. Jinnah Road.

October 10, 1990 was one of the worst days in terms of bomb explosions when four people were killed and 50 others injured when four bombs went off at four sensitive places in the city, within the radius of two km.

The first bomb blast occurred at the Central Police Office followed by explosions at the Sindh Secretariat, the CIA Centre in Saddar and the old KDA building opposite the Burnes Garden.

On August 18, 1992, three navy personnel were killed and 43 injured when three hand-grenades, allegedly carried by one of them, exploded in the passenger enclosure at Keamari.

Two Bangladeshi immigrants were killed and five others injured when a home- made bomb went off in a junk dealer’s shop in Moosa Colony, North Nazimabad, on October 10, 1992.

Two persons were killed and 16 others injured when two high-intensity explosions ripped through the usually crowded Urdu Bazar on November 12, 1992.

Resorting to an unusual modus operandi, the attackers sent a parcel-bomb to Central Jail superintendent Khalid Iqbal who was killed when the parcel, delivered through a courier to his jail residence, exploded on March 15, 1993.

Terrorists lobbed a grenade on a bus in North Karachi killing six people and injuring 22 others. The bus carrying 45 passengers were returning from an Imambargah in Sindhi Hotel to Qasba Colony on July 23, 1994.

Ten persons were killed and 28 others injured when a powerful bomb exploded outside a mosque after Friday prayers in Malir on March 3, 1995.

On April 30, 1995, a heat projectile exploded in a junk dealer’s shop in SITE, claiming four lives.

The Bomb Disposal Squad chief, the late Moinuddin, described the device as a heat projectile shell as an infantry heat HMX-TNT (84mm) rocket.

A 60-year-old sweeper was killed when a home-made bomb went off in her hands in Kalakot area on Sept 9, 1995. The victim, Rehmat Bibi, was sweeping Barkati Compound in Kalakot when she found a garbage bag containing the explosive device.

The city also witnessed a spate of rocket attacks in the 1990s. However, no loss of life or injury was reported in these attacks.

On June 1, 1995, two rockets were fired on New Karachi police station, causing minor injuries to two police officials.

On the same day, two powerful blasts rocked the Sindh Assembly and Naval Colony. Seven rockets hit the Sindh Secretariat, destroying several offices. While the attack caused much damage to the building but, to every one’s surprise, it did not cause any casualty.

On Nov 14, 1995, 10 RPG rockets were fired on police offices in district South. Most of the rockets missed their targets. One of the attackers was killed in a shootout with police.

On January 8, 1996, a powerful bomb ripped through a jam-packed public transport bus on main Sharea Faisal, killing seven passengers and inuring 35 others. The ill-fated KTC bus had begun its journey from Saddar and was heading towards Gulshan-i-Hadeed when the incident occurred.

A powerful bomb exploded outside the offices of an Urdu daily on March 4, 1997. No casualty was reported in the explosion.

On November 2, 1997, the principal of Jamia Islamia Binnori Town, Maulana Dr Habibullah Mukhtar, and his colleague were burnt to death when assailants, riding on motorcycles, hurled an explosive device on their vehicle on Business Recorder Road.

Seven persons were killed and 26 others injured when a powerful bomb exploded in a shop at Al-Asif Square near Sohrab Goth.

On July 9, 1998, two persons were injured when two locally-made explosive devices, one planted inside the Dawn offices and the other under a car in front of Saifee House, went off within an interval of half an hour.

The first device, planted under a parked car in front of Saifee House, injured two persons.

The second bomb inside the Dawn offices went off in the loo on the first floor. No one was injured in the explosion.

Two passengers were killed and 18 others injured when a time-bomb exploded on a Korangi-bound bus near Mehmoodabad on Oct 8, 1999.

Nine persons were killed and 25 others injured when a bomb planted at a sugarcane juice shop on Shahrah-i-Liaquat went off on Jan 1, 2000. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said the bomb was of at least one kg.

Three persons were killed and 23 others injured when a bomb blast rocked a convention organized by a now banned militant outfit in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Oct 22, 2000.

On November 6, 2000, the first suspected suicide bombing took place at the advertisement offices of Nawa-i-Waqt and The Nation in Gurumandir. A woman had tied the bomb to her waist. The bomb exploded when the woman went inside the newspaper office under the pretext of booking an advertisement. Her body was blown up into pieces. Besides her, two newspaper employees were also killed in the bomb blast.

Later, experts came up with a theory that the woman might have been trapped and a remote-controlled device was used to detonate the explosives on her body.

The first bomb blast of 2002 occurred on the New Year’s eve injuring eight persons at Area 51 near Marina Club in the DHA.

Several vehicles parked inside the club were also damaged in the explosion.

In the first half of 2002, terrorists used mobile phones to detonate parcel-bombs. A retired army official was killed when a parcel-bomb sent to his place exploded which was set off by a mobile phone.

Experts said two mobile phones had been used: one to give the ring, and the other had been attached to the explosive material triggering off the explosion.

No one was present in the room where the parcel had been placed by the official’s driver, police said.

On May 5, 2002, 11 Frenchmen and three Pakistanis were killed and 18 others injured by a suicide bomber who pulled up his car near a Pakistan Navy’s bus carrying the Frenchmen in front of Sheraton on Club Road.

The suicide bomber was driving a 1981 Corolla which was blown up into pieces.

On June 14, 2002, 10 persons died and 51 others injured when a passing vehicle blew up in front of the US consulate at Karachi causing massive devastation.

Initially, it was ascertained/thought that a vehicle belonging to a driving school carrying four women was loaded with explosives. Later, foreign investigating agencies came up with a new theory according to which the bomb was in a Suzuki pick-up driven by two men.

The explosive employed in the US consulate bombing was estimated to be of several kg which caused big devastation in and around the consulate building.

Among the dead were five women, four travelling in a car, and the fifth was in another vehicle accompanied by her uncle.