At least 26 people, including nine policemen, were killed while 58 others were injured in a bombing attack near the Arfa Karim IT Tower on Lahore's Ferozepur Road on Monday afternoon.
Lahore's DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said that the blast, which occurred at around 3:55pm, was a "suicide attack" and that “police were the target”. The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility, stating that a "suicide attacker" had used a motorcycle bomb to target police officials.“A suicide bomber exploded near a police contingent deployed for anti-encroachment drive near Arfa Karim Tower on Ferozpur Road Lahore,” a spokesperson of CTD Punjab said in a statement. “26 people have been confirmed dead, including 9 policemen. 54 have been injured.”
A CTD spokesperson confirmed that nine policemen were killed in the blast. The injured included at least six policemen.
Rescue 1122 teams shifted the injured to nearby hospitals, where an emergency had been imposed.Punjab government spokesperson Malik Mohammad Ahmed said the attack had occurred at an old vegetable market in the Kot Lakhpat neighbourhood in Lahore. The area is a busy locality and the office of the Punjab chief minister is located nearby.Another police officer, Kashif Aslam, said the bombing targeted policemen who were providing security for the Lahore Development Authority, which was involved in demolition work targetting encroachments nearby. Anti-riot police had been deployed for the activity.Police and other law enforcement personnel had reached the site of the incident soon after the bombing and cordoned off the area. Forensics teams had also collected evidence from the blast site to determine the nature of the explosion.Most of the casualties were police officers and some bystanders, Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said in a press conference minutes after the attack.Following the incident, law enforcement agencies cordoned the area and began the investigation. A contingent of Pakistan Army also reached the blast site.Spokesperson Punjab government Malik Ahmed Awan said the city district government’s anti-encroachment department was conducting an operation against land mafia at the time of the attack.
Police said a 70cc motorcycle registered on May 15, 2017 was used in the blast. Its owner has been identified as one Usman Ali.It is one of the most secure neighbourhoods of the city, 100 metres from the house of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s office in Model Town H Block.Lahore has been hit by significant militant attacks in country’s more than decade-long war on extremism, but they have been less frequent in recent years.
A bomb killed 14 people in Lahore in February during a wave of attacks across the country.
In April, seven were killed in an attack in the city targeting a team that was carrying out the country’s long overdue census.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the chief minister, among other politicians, strongly condemned blast.
Condolences pour in
Condolences poured in following the blast. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Punjab CM Shahbaz Sharif, Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa and others expressed their grief over the loss of lives in the attack.
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