Modi expresses deep condolences over Lahore blast
Prime Minister Narendra Modi called up his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif and offered his "deep condolences" to the victims of the terror attack in Lahore. Terming the attack as cowardly for targeting women and children, Modi underlined the need for 'uncompromising efforts' to fight terror. The Prime Minister took to Twitter to condemn the blast and the Taliban.
At least 72 people were killed and over 300 injured, when a powerful blast ripped through a public park in Lahore on Esater Sunday. According to Pakistani officials, most of the victims were women and children. The blast occured at the main gate to the Gulshan-e-Iqbal park, close to where the children's swings are located. Pakistani authorities suspected it to be a suicide attack.
The splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack. In a statement, the group claimed that it deliberately targeted 'Christian infidels' on the occasion of Easter Sunday. "It was part of our annual martyrdom attacks we have started this year," the group said and warned that more attacks would follow across Pakistan.
"We had been waiting for this occasion... we want to convey... to the prime minister that we we have arrived in Punjab and we will reach you." - Spokesperson for the Jamaat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Taliban.
A state of emergency was imposed across Lahore after the blast. Rescue workers and ambulances rushed to the park to ferry victims to hospitals, while security officials scoured the region for clues. Pakistani officials announced a three-day mourning in Punjab while the national flag would fly at half-mast. All the markets and bazaars in Lahore remained shut in solidarity with the victims.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called PM Nawaz Sharif to express his condolences over the blast. The US condemned the suicide attack as "cowardly", and vowed to work with Pakistan "to defeat those sowing terror in the country." British Prime Minister David Cameron also expressed shock over the deadly attack and expressed his desire to give Pakistan "all possible support in their hour of grief."
