Daily Times

LAHORE: At least 26 people, including nine policemen, were killed and more than 60 others injured in a powerful suicide blast in front of the old fruit and vegetable market near the Arfa Software Technology Park on Ferozepur Road on Monday.

The death toll could rise as more than 15 people are still fighting for their lives at different hospitals of the city. The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) has registered a case against an unidentified suicide bomber and his facilitator(s).

The blast, which occurred at around 3:55pm, was so powerful that it caused the windows of nearby buildings to shatter, besides completely destroying cars and motorcycles within the blast radius. It also caused a nearby building to collapse, and as a result a number of people got trapped under the debris. Rescuers were able to pull several people out alive, but others were not lucky enough to survive the caving in of the structure.

A CTD spokesperson confirmed that nine policemen, including two real brothers, were killed in the suicide bomb attack, adding that more than 60 people, including policemen, were injured.

According to reports, intelligence agencies had issued several alerts to all government departments concerned regarding possible terrorist attacks in the city, and had directed them to beef up security arrangements at all important places, buildings and entry and exit points to avoid any untoward incident.

Sources said that authorities affiliated with the Punjab Safe City Project had also installed a number of CCTV cameras across the city and a contingent of police force had been patrolling city roads on bikes, cars and other vehicles, but all those efforts proved to be futile.

However, sources said that during the last few days, no notification or letter had been issued by the department concerned for any possible threat in the city.

Meanwhile, the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for the bombing, stating that it used a ‘motorcycle bomb’ to target police officials.

“A suicide bomber of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan used a motorcycle bomb to kill dozens of policemen,” the group’s spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said in a statement emailed to the media.

“Our message to frontline allies of enemies of Islam is to get out of our way or be ready to suffer this fate,” Khurasani added.

Police said that a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle had tried to target policemen, who were present in the area to handle any possible untoward situation in reaction to the ongoing anti-encroachment operation in the area.

According to details, laborers were demolishing structures in the market under an anti-encroachment operation that had started a day earlier, and policemen were also present there for handling any kind of reaction by the affectees, besides giving cover to the labourers.

Meanwhile, rescue officials shifted the injured persons to nearby hospitals, where an emergency had been declared. Police and rescue sources said that the injured were shifted to Jinnah Hospital, General Hospital, Services Hospital and a private healthcare facility.

The deceased policemen were identified as real brothers Ali Raza and Murtaza, Sub-Inspector Riaz, ASI Fayyaz and constables Sajid, Moazam, Abid, Muhammad Qasim and Umair Ghani.

CCPO Amin Wains and DIG Operations Dr Haider Ashraf said that the bomber had targeted the police. They also confirmed it was a suicide blast.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said the blast had appeared to target the vegetable market, which was crowded with shoppers.

Contingents of the Pakistan Army and Rangers had also reached the crime scene to gather evidence. Army officials also visited the healthcare facilities to inquire about the health of those injured.

Lahore has been hit by significant militant attacks in Pakistan’s more than decade-long war on extremism, but they have been less frequent in recent years.

The last major blast in the city was in March last year, when 75 were killed and hundreds injured in a bomb targeting Christians celebrating Easter Sunday in a park.

But the country was also hit by a wave of attacks in February this year, including a bomb that killed 14 people in Lahore.

In April a further seven were killed in an attack in the city targeting a team that was carrying out the country’s long overdue census.

Published in Daily Times, July 25^th 2017.