A night of violence in the Pakistani city of Karachi was followed by two bomb blasts today that killed one person and wounded two, police and witnesses said.
The blasts, in the upmarket Clifton and Defence areas, came amid tight security as a oneday strike gripped Karachi and major towns and cities throughout the southern province of Sindh, forcing an almost complete shutdown.
"We have confirmed reports there is a bomb blast in which a person died", a police official said of the first explosion.
Police said the dead person, originally thought to be a bomber, was a drug addict who had an explosive device placed in his bag while he slept. Doctors said one of the wounded was in stable condition and the other suffered superficial injuries.
It was unclear whether the blasts were related to the strike.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), the biggest political party in Karachi, and the Jiye Sindh Qaumi Mahaz (JSQM) issued the strike call to protest against government clampdowns on political activities and a failure to solve a chronic water shortage.
The stoppage follows a night of violence in which 238 people were arrested and dozens of vehicles torched.
MQM officials said the strike was successful and blamed the violence on state agencies out to discredit strike supporters.