Dozens injured after grenade attack on Kashmir rally

Dozens were injured on Wednesday following a grenade attack on a rally in Pakistan marking the one-year anniversary of New Delhi's controversial decision last year to end the semi-autonomous status of Indian-administered Kashmir.

Two men riding a motorbike threw the grenade into the crowd that had gathered in Pakistan's Kashmir, protesting the continued violent crackdown in the section under India's control and which Islamabad claims in its entirety.

The blast on the Jamaat-i-Islami rally left 39 injured, mostly light injuries, although one person is still in a critical condition, according to Dawn newspaper.

"A grenade was lobbed in the rally, causing several casualties," Karachi police chief Ghulam Nabi Memon told Reuters.

The attack was claimed by the separatist Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army, which Islamabad claims is backed by India.

The militant group has carried out a number of attacks on civilian and military targets in Pakistan and seeks independence for the Sindh region of the country.

In June, the Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army carried out bomb attacks in Pakistan which killed four people including two soldiers.

The rally marked the anniversary of India's decision last year to end Kashmir's special status, a Muslim-majority region.

While many Kashmiris seek an independent state, Pakistan also claims the region and has fought three wars and a number of other smaller skirmishes with India over the issue.

The Sindhudesh Revolutionary Army claims full independence for the Sindh region with Karachi as its capital and has recently formed an alliance with Balochi separatist militants.