Pakistan is mourning the death of at least 70 people in Sunday’s Taliban suicide bombing in the eastern city of Lahore. The deadly blast occurred in a crowded public park and also wounded more than 300 people, including women and children.
The violence, claimed a Taliban spokesman, was aimed at Christian families who had gathered in the park in connection with Easter celebrations.
The terrorist attack in the capital city of the country’s most populous province of Punjab has been criticized by national and international leaders.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif arrived in Lahore Monday morning where he chaired a meeting of top civilian and security officials. While condemning the terrorist strike against innocent civilians, Sharif said it will not deter efforts to eliminate extremism and terrorism from Pakistan.
In a statement from National Security Council spokesman Ned Price, the United States condemned “in the strongest terms” the attack in Lahore, calling it a “cowardly act in what has long been a scenic and placid park.”
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has also released a statement strongly condemning the bombing and calling for “the perpetrators of this appalling terrorist act to be brought swiftly to justice, consistent with human rights obligations.”
He urged the Pakistani government to do its utmost to put in place protective measures to ensure the personal security of all individuals, including religious minority communities living in the country.
Meanwhile, several hundred Islamist activists were still staging a protest near the parliament in Islamabad Monday morning and refusing to disperse until their demands are met.
Thousands of demonstrators had marched on the capital city late Sunday evening to protest against the hanging of a man charged with murdering a provincial governor because he had called for reforms in the blasphemy laws.
The protesters, mostly activists of Islamic parties, rallied against the execution of Mumtaz Qadri who gunned down Punjab’s governor, Salman Taseer, in 2011 because the slain politician had called for reforms in the country’s Islamic law against blasphemy.
The demonstrators clashed with police and paramilitary forces while setting fire to private and government buildings.
The clashes wounded more than two dozen security personnel, prompting the government to deploy troops to protect the so-called Red Zone in Islamabad where mostly key official buildings, including parliament and foreign diplomatic missions, are located.
The protesters were demanding, among other things, assurances that the government will not introduce changes in the blasphemy laws. However, the deployment of troops acted as a deterrent and most of the crowd dispersed in the middle of the night.
…
