Lahore Suicide Bomb Blast - Death rises to 75

2 Suicide attacks 6 Explosions 75 Dead in Lahore

The week that has passed was a horrendous one for Lahoris and the law enforcement agencies as the provincial metropolis was rocked by eight blasts out of which two were suicide attacks. More than 75 innocent lives were lost in the terrorist attacks while over 200 people were injured.

An explosive laden car hit the Special Investigation Agency (SIA) building in Model Town on March 8 (Monday), killing 15 people while two-suicide bombers – who were on foot – targeted the Garrison Security Force patrolling unit in RA Bazaar on March 12 (Friday), killing over 50 people. The RA Bazaar attack was carried out at the time of the Juma prayer.

As if that was not enough, a string of low-intensity explosions rocked Iqbal Town the same day. Although the explosions were not fatal, they instilled fear in the locals, which was precisely why the blasts were carried out in the first place. Markets, restaurants and shops were closed while people preferred not to send their children to school the next day. After the RA Bazaar blasts, police launched large-scale search operations and rounded up 67 people for questioning.

Senior police officers told the media that they had unearthed important leads in the terrorism cases, and were working around the clock to determine the right course of investigations.

Detained: Another search operation was launched in Iqbal Town, where around 105 men – who either did not have their Computerised National Identity Cards (CNICs) or were carrying photocopies of the cards – were detained. More than 12 residential blocks of Iqbal Town were searched, where mostly Afghans and people from Swat were questioned. Iqbal Town Superintendent of Police (SP) Ali Nasir and SP (Investigations) Shoaib Khurram jointly headed the operation.

Special police contingents were deployed at the entry and exit points of the city, while several new security pickets have been set up at the major roads.

Further, traffic wardens were instructed to be ‘vigilant’ at all times and issue an alert through their wireless network in case of an emergency. The same directions have been given to the high patrolling police as well.

Footage: A leading investigator told Daily Times that police had seen the CCTV footage of RA Bazaar blasts, and although the suspects can be seen in the footage, they are ‘too far away’ from the came for their faces to be recognisable.

However, all the CCTV footage from across the city is being collected from all sources and police would make a breakthrough soon, the investigator added.

Another senior police officer said the terrorists had ‘changed their style’ over the years. He said, “They blend in amongst the citizens and wait until they find a loophole in security arrangements to carry out an attack”. He said if a person enters the city disguised as a common man, no one could point him out as a threat. Hence, these terrorists enter the city easily, and later they are provided logistics by their facilitators to carry out the attacks, the officer added.

Fear: The Iqbal Town explosions were just carried out to create unrest in the city, which the attackers succeeded in doing so. The security agencies are aware of the fact that anti-state elements are behind the attacks in Lahore. The intelligence agencies of different countries seem most likely to be behind the attacks. In this context, the Punjab law minister’s public accusation of the Indian spy agency RAW being involved in the RA Bazaar blasts makes sense.

The involvement of militants, foreign spy networks and other anti-state elements has been causing great damage to Lahore and the country at large. But still, the people on the streets are ‘optimistic’ of a ‘safe tomorrow’ and have expressed confidence in the country’s security agencies.

Funding: The Indian consulates in Afghanistan are said to be the facilitators of the terror networks operating in Pakistan. The ‘funding’ for these networks needs to be stopped, and people should cooperate with the agencies in all possible ways to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country.