Ten people were killed and 40 others injured on Sunday in two terrorist strikes that targeted Shia religious gatherings in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and the port city of Karachi.

A suicide bomber detonated his explosives when police guards prevented him from entering the Pir Alam Shah Bukhari 'imambargah' or Shia prayer hall in PoK capital Muzaffarabad.

A provincial minister said 10 people were killed and 30 more injured in the attack.

The imambargah is located in a high-security area near a military hospital. The injured were taken to the hospital. Witnesses said scores of people were present in the imambargah, one of the largest Shia prayer halls in Muzaffarabad, for a gathering organised to mark the Islamic month of Muharram.

In Karachi, 16 people were injured when a bomb went off near a Shia procession in Qasba More area. Police described the blast as a low intensity explosion. Ambulances rushed the injured to a nearby hospital.

Karachi police chief Waseem Ahmed said the nature of the blast was yet to be determined. Both attacks occurred almost simultaneously shortly before 7 pm.

Police and paramilitary Pakistan Rangers cordoned off the area. The explosion was followed by firing in the area, TV news channels reported.

However, it was not clear who had opened fire. People also protested against police for failing to
protect the procession. Karachi has not been affected by a recent wave of bombings and suicide attacks that has killed over 500 people across Pakistan.

However, the port city has often witnessed sectarian violence during Muharram, which is a period of mourning for the minority Shia community.

Nineteen people were injured when a car bomb went off near a Shia procession in Karachi last night. The blast took place on Saturday near a graveyard in Paposh Nagar area just two days ahead of the 10th day of Muharram processions.

A senior police official said that initial inquiry showed that the bomb was a home-made device and planted in the car which was gutted after the explosion.

"It apparently was an attempt to target Shia Muslims as a Muharram procession was due to pass from the area where the explosion took place," police official Raja Umar Khattab said.