LAHORE, Pakistan: Following the bombing at Chairing Cross in Lahore, one-day mourning is being observed across Punjab on Tuesday as per directives by the Provincial Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif.
On Monday evening, a suicide bomber struck during a protest outside the Punjab assembly on Mall road in Lahore, leaving at least 13 people including Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Traffic Lahore Captain (retd) Ahmed Mubeen and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Operations Punjab Police Zahid Gondal martyred while 85 injured.
In the wake of the Lahore blast, the national flags on all government buildings in Punjab remain at half-mast while markets are closed in grief of the deceased.
The blast was claimed by Jamat-ul-Ahrar, a splinter group of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The Lahore bombing received a nation-wide condemnation while Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif reiterated the government’s resolve to eliminate terrorism from the Country and liberate the people of this cancer.
The United States also condemned the suicide blast in Lahore, and expressed condolences to the families of the deceased.
“The United States condemns the terrorist attack today in Lahore, which reportedly killed at least 16 people and targeted peaceful demonstrators and law enforcement officials,” said the US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Mark Toner.
“We will continue to work with our partners in Pakistan and across the region to combat the threat of terrorism,” Mark Toner said.
Funeral prayers offered
Meanwhile, funeral prayers of seven policemen martyred in Chairing Cross blast was offered at Elite Police Training Centre Bedian Road Lahore today in which top political and military leaders participated.
Punjab Governor Malik Muhammad Rafique Rajwana, Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah and Corps Commander Lahore Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali were also among the attendees.
