LAHORE: An explosion blasted through roadside shops in the Anarkali Bazaar area of Lahore on Thursday, killing two people and injuring 25 others.
The blast is being investigated by forensic specialists, and initial reports indicate that it was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED).
However, according to DIG Abid Khan, the crater created by the explosion indicated that it was an IED attack.
According to eyewitness accounts, a person parked a bike at the scene of the incident and crossed the road just before the explosion.
A significant number of law enforcement officers reached the spot of the incident and sealed it off. The injured were taken to Mayo Hospital, with five of them in severe condition, according to Commissioner Lahore.
He went on to say that after the forensic analysis is completed, further information would be released. “At first, the bomb disposal unit thought it was a high explosive device,” the commissioner stated.
وزیر اعظم عمران خان کا لاہور دھماکے میں قیمتی انسانی جانوں کے ضیاع پر اظہار افسوس۔
زخمیوں کو فوری طور پر طبی امداد کی فراہمی کی ہدایت
پنجاب حکومت سے واقع کی رپورٹ طلب pic.twitter.com/08tUvRcsTY
— Prime Minister's Office (@PakPMO) January 20, 2022
Imran Khan, Pakistan’s Prime Minister, has condemned the event and offered regret for the lives lost. He has directed concerned authorities to offer the best medical care to the injured and has requested a report on the occurrence from the Punjab administration.
LIVE #APPNews : Commissioner Lahore talks to media https://t.co/J33pNs0eo0
— APP (@appcsocialmedia) January 20, 2022
The attack was strongly denounced by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. “Those responsible for the explosion will be apprehended and brought to justice as soon as possible,” added CM Buzdar.
وزیراعلیٰ پنجاب @UsmanAKBuzdar کی انارکلی میں دھماکے کی شدید مذمت
"دھماکے کے ذمہ داروں کو جلد گرفتار کر کے قانون کے کٹہرے میں لایا جائے گا۔" وزیرِاعلی پنجاب
وزیراعلی عثمان بزدار کا دھماکے میں قیمتی انسانی جانوں کے ضیاع پر گہرے دکھ اور افسوس کا اظہار— . (@CMPunjabPK) January 20, 2022
He called sabotaging the province’s law and order a “vicious deed.”
Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, denounced the act. He expressed his sadness over the loss of valuable lives in Anarkali, a vibrant and historic area of Lahore.
لاہور کے زندہ دل اور تاریخی علاقے انار کلی میں دھماکے سے قیمتی جانی نقصان پر بے حد دکھ اور افسوس ہے۔ معصوم بچےاورغریب افراد اس میں نشانہ بنے جو انتہائی قابل مذمت ہے۔جاں بحق ہونے والوں کے اہل خانہ سے دلی تعزیت کرتے ہیں۔اسلام آباد کے بعد لاہور میں دہشت گردی ملک کے لئے نیک فال نہیں!
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) January 20, 2022
“The incident claimed the lives of innocent children and the underprivileged.”
An explosives-laden truck burst outside the residence of Hafiz Saeed, leader of the banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD), in Lahore’s Johar Town neighbourhood in June last year, killing three persons and injuring 21 others, including women and children.
Investigators believe that roughly 25-30 kg of explosives were used in the incident, which left a three-foot-deep and five-foot-wide crater and shrapnel that flew as far as 500 metres.
