LAHORE: A powerful bomb went off in a crowded Anarkali market in Lahore on Thursday, killing at least three people and wounding 20 others.
Forensic teams are investigating the blast and initial reports point towards the use of an improvised explosive device (IED).
However, DIG Abid Khan said initial investigation suggested that it was an IED attack as a crater was created by the explosion.
An eyewitness account claimed that an individual parked a bike at the spot of the incident and crossed the road moments before the explosion.
A large number of law enforcement officials reached the incident site and cordoned the area. Commissioner Lahore stated that the injured were shifted to Mayo Hospital and five were in critical condition.
He added that more details will be shared after the forensic analysis is completed. “The bomb disposal squad has initially informed that this was a high explosive device,” the commissioner added.
A nine-year-old boy is among the three dead. Later, an injured – identified as Yasir Ali, 16-year-old, s/o Allah Ditta and resident of Rahim Yar Khan – succumbed to his injuries.
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has condemned the incident and expressed regret over the lives lost. He has instructed concerned authorities to provide the best medical aid to the injured and asked the Punjab government to submit a report on the incident.
Chief Minister Usman Buzdar also condemned the attack. “Those responsible for the blast will be arrested soon and brought to justice,” said CM Buzdar.
He said it was a “vicious act” to sabotage the law and order of the province.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident. He said that the loss of precious lives in Anarkali, a lively and historic area of Lahore, was deeply saddening.
“Innocent children and poor people were the victims of the tragedy.”
In June last year, three people died and 21 others, including women and children, sustained injuries when an explosives-laden vehicle exploded near the house of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), in Lahore’s Johar Town neighbourhood.
According to investigators, around 25-30 kilogrammes of explosives could have been used in the blast, as it had left a three feet deep and five feet wide crater at the spot, while shrapnel flew as far as 500 metres.
A newly formed terrorist group based in Balochistan claimed responsibility in a text message sent to a Reuters reporter.
It said a bank was the target of the attack. Police said they were investigating.
Buzdar was quoted as saying by the media that the incident “is aimed at sabotaging the atmosphere of law and order”.
He also directed the provincial police chief to submit a report.
Shortly after the incident, the deputy commissioner directed the civil defence officials to deploy a bomb disposal squad to the neighbourhood, ordering them to conduct a complete and thorough sweep of the area.
