The death toll from a suicide bombing at Gulshan-i-Iqbal Park in Lahore raised to 72 on Monday, with over 300 people injured, several of them said to be in critical condition.
According to latest details from hospitals and officials, those killed in the bombing included 29 children and seven women.
Officials said 50 bodies have been handed over to families after identification.
The victims also included seven members of an unfortunate family from Sanghar who all lost their lives as the suicide attacker blew himself up in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, just outside the exit gate and a few metres away from children’s swings.
A large number of people including women and children were present at the park due to a weekly holiday.
Case registered
Police has registered a case for the suicide bombing at the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) police station.
The FIR has been registered against unknown terrorists, the suspected suicide bomber, and the attackers’ facilitators.
Terrorism, murder, attempted murder, and other charges have been included in the FIR against the accused.
The Punjab government has announced three days of mourning in the province.
Meanwhile, the provincial governments of Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are also observing a day of mourning today, with most private schools shut down and commercial centres closed for business.
‘Questionable security’
The powerful blast ripped through a massively crowded area of the park adjacent to Gate 1 which houses swings, train and some other attractions for children.
Witnesses said the crowd included a large number of Christian families celebrating Easter, according to reports.
Witnesses said the blast was so massive and fatal that there were pools of blood and scattered body parts in the park. The injured were seen crying for help and women running to find their children.
The incident raised a big question mark over the ‘security measures’ especially in the wake of terror threats.
Lahore CCPO retired Capt Amin Wains, quoting initial police inquiries, said the park was pathetically managed by the Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) and its boundary walls – only four to five feet in height – were easily scalable.
He said the PHA management was responsible for frisking the visitors and 40 private guards were manning the recreational facility spanning over 2.5 km area for security.
He ruled out a security lapse on the part of police and said two mobile squads had been stationed at the main gate of the park.
The problem with us is, we say a lot and do a lot of fake exercises after ALL is over. Shall we ever will be able to prevent it ?
PML N has created a degenerated culture in Pakistan mostly in Punjab. Police is an essential part of this creation. Land grabbing and money laundering are common and terrorists like Burqa Molvi and Qadri fans are untouchables. Remember what Police did in Modal Town where women and old people were protesting? 14 people including a woman was brutally murdered by Punjab Police.
There are various types of ovarian cancer, and many assumed reasons as to why some women may develop one of them.
Comments are closed.