Twin blasts in Lahore's fruit market injure 23
02 August, 2012
|
| LAHORE: Pakistani security officials examine the site of a bomb blast in Lahore. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
LAHORE: At least 23 people were injured in twin blasts at the fruit market in Badami Bagh area of the city, late on Wednesday. Police beefed up security across the city, especially at entry and exit points.
Rescue and police officials reached the spot and shifted the injured to Mayo Hospital, where the condition of five of the injured was reported to be critical. However, there were no reports of any fatalities and the nature of the explosions could not be ascertained until the filing of the report.
However, Punjab Police Inspector General Haji Habibur Rehman said the blasts were of low intensity with the objective of spreading fear. The inspector general claimed that the blasts were in reaction to the arrest of militants in Multan earlier in the day. The police chief added they were searching for any further bombs that could have been planted by terrorists. He said the culprits would soon be arrested.
"We killed a senior Taliban commander in Multan today, so we were expecting such kind of response from the terrorists. Although nobody has claimed this attack, we can't rule out the retaliation," Habibur Rehman said.
Another senior police official said most of the injured were manual labourers, and the bombs were remote-controlled.
A source said one of the bombs had been planted under a pushcart, while the second blast took place in the parking area near the main gate of the Fruit Market. Witnesses said the first bomb went off near a garbage heap and injured two people. The second was a relatively larger explosion and blew up 100 yards from the first and injured more people.
Security has been put on high alert in the city, while checking has been intensified on all routes leading to and from Lahore. Bomb Disposal Squad officials said the two bombs were of low intensity and contained about half a kilogramme of explosives.
The injured were identified as Waqas, Rafique, Nasir, Saleem, Muhammad Ahsan, Ramzan, Imdad Khan, Akhtar Hussain, Muhammad Saleem, Hafiz Shahbaz, Sharif, Jani Gull, Asif, Sadaqat, Hussnain, Masood, Farid, Noman, Iqbal and Suffian.
According to police sources, they had arrested three terrorists a few days back who had disclosed that they were planning to carry out an attack in the city. An investigation in this regard is underway.
Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, while taking notice of the twin blasts, has sought details from Punjab Police Inspector General Haji Habibur Rehman. He has directed the health authorities to provide best treatment facilities to the injured.
End.
|
