By Amena Khokhar, KUNA,
Islamabad : While people continued holding protest demonstrations in several small cities of Pakistan to condemn reprinting of sacrilegious cartoons in Danish newspapers, a huge blast targeted Danish embassy in Islamabad killing as many as eight persons and wounding twenty-four others including foreigners.
A suicide bomber blew his explosive-laden vehicle at the entrance gate of a NGO, Devolution Trust for Community Empowerment, in front of the Danish embassy. The embassy and NGO offices are only ten meters apart.
Secretary Interior Syed Kamal Shah said the explosion took place on the road not in the parking area, as had been earlier reported.
Police and hospital sources confirmed to KUNA that the explosion killed more than eight persons and wounded 24 others including foreigners. A foreigner was also reportedly among the dead but it could not be confirmed. Hospital sources said that at least 14 of the wounded were in critical condition and feared rise in the death toll.
The explosion was so huge that it left 3-feet deep crater in at the explosion site and partially damaged several nearby buildings including the UNDP office, and the Indian House.
More than 30 vehicles parked inside the NGO office and outside were also badly damaged.
Police said the target was Danish embassy as it had been on the terrorists hit list due to printing of sacrilegious cartoons, hurting Muslims across the world.
Federal Law Minister, Farouq Naek, condemning the incident said that the Danish embassy had been provided high security after it received attack threats in the aftermath of sacrilegious cartoons printing.
Meanwhile, people Monday continued their peaceful protests in Multan and other small cities of Pakistan demanding the government to end diplomatic relations with Denmark as well as ban import of all products from the country. Security was put on high alert in Islamabad and all major cities of Pakistan. President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani condemned the incident in strongest terms and directed the authorities to conduct thorough investigations into the terrorist incident.