LAHORE, Pakistan: In yet another attempt to disrupt the peaceful environment in Punjab, a suicide bomber belonging to Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Jamaatul Ahrar targeted the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park in Lahore on Sunday evening and killed at least 72 persons and left more than 300 injured.
Meanwhile, according to the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan army personnel have taken charge of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park and began rescue operation.
The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Operations Captain (retd) Muhammad Usman told media that the explosion occurred in the parking stand of the park.
The dead bodies and injured were shifted to Jinnah Hospital, Mayo Hospital, Shaikh Zayed Hospital and Services Hospital whereas emergency had already been imposed in all government hospitals in the City.
The Superintendent of Police (SP) Iqbal Town Dr Muhammad Iqbal told that a large number of people including women and children had thronged the park to enjoy the holiday when the blast took place.
The banned outfit TTP Jamaatul Ahrar admitted that it was behind the blast in Lahore, saying that Christian families who were enjoying Easter Holiday in Children Park were the target of the blast.
Meanwhile, President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and leaders of other political parties strongly condemned the blast in Lahore.
In their messages, the president and prime minister said that such coward acts will not shake nation’s resolve against terrorism.
The Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz also condemned the blast and directed to provide best possible medical facilities to the injured.
In the mean time, the Punjab government announced three days of mourning over the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park blast.
The blast took place a day after Lahore was put on high alert amid security threats which the security agencies received while interrogating the terrorists who were taken into custody in a raid conducted by the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) team in Township area of Lahore on Saturday morning.
