Sectarian violence has become a common occurrence in the troubled district of Dera Ismail Khan. — AP

DERA ISMAIL KHAN Thirty people were killed and over 150 others injured when a suicide bomber attacked the funeral procession of the caretaker of an Imambargah here on Friday.

The caretaker, Sher Zaman, had been killed on Thursday by gunmen in a busy market. Two more people were killed in riots which broke out after the attack. The army was called in and a `shoot-on-sight` order was issued.

Police and eyewitnesses said the bomber, aged between 20 and 22 and sporting short beard, ran into the mourning procession and blew himself up in the middle of the crowd.

Angered by the attack, a large mob of protesters took over the streets in the town, fired in the air, pelted vehicles with stones, ransacked shops and torched buses. They also erected roadblocks by burning tyres and fired on police.

The injured were taken to the DHQ hospital and the CMH in Dera Ismail Khan; the DHQ hospital in Bhakkar and private hospitals.

Hospital sources said that the death toll might rise because 20 of the injured were in critical condition who were later shifted to Islamabad by helicopter at the request of JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman.

The procession was going to Kotli Imam Hussain. It was attacked at Shobra hotel, near the Bannu bus-stand.

There were ghastly scenes at the place of the bombing, with human limbs scattered all around. The injured, including children and aged men, were crying with pain.

Officials said that mobs fired on police who were trying to help the injured.

Two parked coaches at the Pindi stand were set on fire. All markets and shops were closed soon after the blast.A curfew was imposed and shoot-on-sight orders were issued to prevent further unrest.

`Troops were called in to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order,` DCO Syed Mohsin Shah said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the suicide attack but police and local people blamed sectarian extremists. `We cannot say who was behind the bombing, but it appears to be linked to the ongoing sectarian violence,` a police officer said.

SHO of the cantonment police station Saeedullah Khan said the head and a foot of the suspected bomber had been found.

EDO Syed Feroz Shah announced that all educational institutions would remain closed on Saturday.

Those killed were identified as Shakeel, Amir Hussain, Sabir Hussain, Iftikhar Hussain, Mohammad Arif, Arif Hussain, Ghulam Qadir, Ramazan, Nazir Hussain, Hassan Raza, Bashir Hussain, Ulfat Hussain, Raza Hussain, Younus, Zulfiqar, Kifayat Hussain, Inamullah, Ali Shahenshah, Shaukat, Dil Jan, Syed Ali Raza, Ghulam Shabir, Saqlain, Fawad, Wejay Kumar, Haq Nawaz, Rajab Ali, Shabir and Azmat Ali.

Inspector General of Police Malik Naveed Khan constituted an investigation team.

According to a statement issued by the central police office, the team comprising officials of different law-enforcement agencies had been asked to thoroughly probe the matter and submit a report within 10 days.