KARACHI: A bomb hit a bus carrying Muslim students in Pakistan's southern city of Karachi yesterday, killing one person in what appeared to be the latest attack in a rising wave of sectarian violence in the country, a government official said.

The attack came a day after Taliban gunmen in northern Pakistan forced 20 off buses, lined them up and killed them.

The university students who were hit yesterday were on their way to an anti-Israel rally that is held every year at the end of Ramadan, said Roshan Ali Shaikh, the top administrative official in Karachi.

In addition to the person killed, 11 others were wounded, he said.

It's unclear if the dead and wounded were students on the bus, or others in the area when the blast occurred.

The rally was being held by the Imamia Student Organisation.

The students being bused to the rally were members of the organisation from the University of Karachi.

Many analysts have criticied the Pakistani government for not doing enough to crack down on the violence.