At least three persons died while over 24 were injured in a blast in Johar Town locality of Lahore, police said on Wednesday.
At least eight people, including a police officer and children, were in critical condition, CCPO Ghulam Muhammad Dogar said.
According to sources, the initial investigation report submitted to the Punjab IG said that “15 kilograms to 20 kilograms explosives were detonated through a remote control device”. More than 50 houses were damaged due to the blast while a three feet deep and eight feet wide crater was also created as a result.
The explosives used were “imported and packed with ball bearings, nails and other sharp-edged items”, the sources said and added that a car was used for this “controlled and targeted” explosion.
WHO WAS THE TARGET?
IG Inam Ghani, during a media talk, also confirmed that the bombing happened near the residence of Hafiz Seed, the head of banned Jammatud Dawa who is in jail over terror financing. Saeed is the founder of the outlawed Lashkar-e-Taiba group.
Ghani said police were guarding Saeed’s house at the time of the attack. He said the attackers might have succeeded in targeting Saeed’s home had police not set up a security post in the street where the bombing happened.
It was unclear whether the bombing caused any damage to his home, although the windows of dozens of homes were damaged. Authorities blocked passageways to Saeed’s home, citing security reasons, reported Associated Press.
Last year, Pakistan sentenced Saeed to 15 years in jail in a terror-financing case, but he was never charged in connection with the Mumbai attacks.
