Pakistan condemns India bomb attacks

HYDERABAD, India - Agence France-Presse

Relatives and neighbors mourn by the body of Swapna Reddy, killed in Thursday?s explosion, at her house in Hyderabad, India, Friday, Feb. 22, 2013. AP Photo/ Mahesh Kumar A.

Pakistan on Friday condemned bomb attacks that killed at least 14 people in the Indian city of Hyderabad, saying "all acts of terrorism are unjustifiable regardless of their motivation".

"Terrorism in all its forms and manifestations constitutes one of the most serious threats to international peace and security," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

"Being itself a victim of terrorism, Pakistan fully understands and shares the pain and agony of the people of India. Our prayers and thoughts are with the families of victims of this terrorist attack," it added.

Hyderabad bombings killed 14: Indian minister, police

Twin bombings in a busy shopping area in the Indian city of Hyderabad are now known to have killed 14 people and wounded 119, a senior Indian minister said on Friday.

"The total dead are 14, total injured is 119. Out of this six are critical," Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde said at a news conference in the city following Thursday evening's attacks. N. Rao, a senior police official in Hyderabad, confirmed the toll of 14 and put the number of wounded at 80.

Another senior police officer had said on Thursday that 20 people were killed when two bombs placed on bicycles went off outside a popular cinema and bus stand in the southern city, a hub of India's IT industry.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the perpetrators of the "dastardly act" would be punished. It came with the nation on alert after the recent hanging of a separatist unleashed protests in the Muslim-majority region of Kashmir.

India police say were warned about Hyderabad bomb threat

Indian police revealed Friday they had been warned of a possible attack by Islamist militants in a bustling shopping area of Hyderabad where twin bombings killed at least 14 people and wounded scores.

The near-simultaneous attacks on Thursday night outside a cinema and a bus stand in the Dilsukh Nagar district were the first deadly bombings in the country since 2011 and triggered condemnation from Indian and world leaders.

The attacks also raised questions about whether Australia's cricket team would go ahead with a scheduled international match against India in Hyderabad starting on March 2, although the tourists said the Test was still on for now.

As investigators sifted through the wreckage in their hunt for the perpetrators, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said those responsible for the "dastardly act" would be punished.

No group has claimed responsibility but newspapers pointed the finger at Indian Mujahideen. A senior detective said two of the group's militants had spoken of a possible attack in the area during interrogation last October.

In May 2007 at least 11 people were killed in a blast at a mosque in Hyderabad and five more died when police fired at Muslim protesters.

Months later in August, at least 40 people were killed in Hyderabad when two blasts hit an auditorium and an outdoor restaurant.

Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai, the top civil servant in India's external affairs ministry, did not rule out foreign involvement. "I am not sure there is any evidence it could be homegrown terrorism," he said in Washington Thursday.

New US Secretary of State John Kerry said in a tweet that he had expressed his sympathies for the "brave people" of Hyderabad when he met Mathai while UN chief Ki-Moon "strongly condemn(ed) the indiscriminate attacks".