LAHORE: Lahoris defeated the fear of terrorism, as thousands of people thronged to parks and recreational places located across the provincial capital on all three days of Eidul Fitr, despite the recent terrorist attack in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park. Lahoris, known for their wholeheartedness, never miss any opportunity to enjoy special occasions. Massive rush of citizens was observed at all the major parks of the city and other public places including Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, Jilani Park, Bagh-e-Jinnah, Safari Park, Model Town Park, Nawaz Sharif Park, Jalo Park and Nasir Bagh. It is pertinent to mention that on March 27, a bomb blasted near the main gate of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, killing at least 72 and injuring over 300 people. Taliban faction Jamaatul Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack. After the attack, all public parks including Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park were closed for construction of the security walls, placement of CCTV cameras and walkthrough gates. As an aftermath, fear and panic was found among the citizens who preferred avoiding parks. However, Eidul Fitr brought massive rush at these parks, as children, elders and women, not only from the provincial capital but also from the suburban areas, visited these parks. Families on the occasion had arranged picnics while children were seen playing without any fear of terrorism. Number of people also had food from the stalls inside the parks. Talking to Daily Times, Hadia, mother of four, said that it was the moment to celebrate the joys and blessings of Eid, therefore she along with her family visited Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park. When asked about the recent bomb blast, she said, “I know this was the place which was targeted by terrorists, but I, and many other people like me, want to tell our enemies that our resolve is stronger than their nefarious intentions.” A teenager, Asif, said that his house was located in front of the main gate of the park, which was where the bomb exploded. He said that when he entered the park on Eid, he experienced flashbacks of those catastrophic moments when he saw dead bodies lying in blood. “Although I can never forget those moments, but I am visiting this park today with my friends to give a clear message to terrorists that we Lahoris will not back down and will continue to celebrate our religious festivals without fear.” Ismail, father of two, was of the view that people of Lahore would never stop visiting parks and other recreational place just because of fear of bomb blasts. “We are lively people who love to enjoy and know how to celebrate our festivals, therefore we will continue to go out without any fear of death,” he added. Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) Director General Shakeel told Daily Times that after the blast, special security arrangements were made for Eid, as it was expected that thousands of people would visit open places. He said that despite the passage of only three months, around 100,000 people visited Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park on three days of Eid, which was encouraging. Talking about special arrangement, he said that now all parks have CCTV cameras, walkthrough gates and security officials. “We have hired private security guards inside the parks and outside the parks to ensure foolproof security of open places,” he added.