Data Darbar blast: 11 martyred including five elite force personnel, 30 injured
Hundreds of Muslims were at the Data Darbar as the country marks the holy month of Ramazan.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Eleven people, including five elite force personnel, a security guard and five civilians, were martyred and 30 others sustained critical wounds on Wednesday morning in a suicide attack targeting vehicles of police elite force near the entrance gate for female visitors to the 11th-century Data Darbar (shrine) in Lahore.
Meanwhile, Rescue 1122 officials and police officers rushed to the spot along with a heavy convoy of police forces, and began rescue operation and investigation, respectively.
The injured persons, including two women and three police officers, were shifted to hospitals, where an emergency has been imposed, for their treatment. Some of the patients are said to be critical. Many wounded persons were shifted to the Mayo Hospital.
Hundreds of Muslims were at the Data Darbar as the country marks the holy month of Ramazan. The impact of the blast shattered the windows in nearby vehicles and buildings, bystanders told the media.
.jpg)
“Police was the prime target in this attack. We are collecting forensic evidences to ascertain the nature of the blast. This attack has left nine dead and 24 injured,” said Ashfaq Khan, deputy inspector general of police operations in Lahore.
Many people were wounded and Muhammad Farooq, a spokesman for the city’s rescue services, said at least seven or eight of them were in critical condition.
According to reports, police has determined the age of the suicide bomber to be around 15-16 years and his hand has been sent to the NADRA for fingerprint recognition.
The suicide bomber blew himself up at 8:54am near elite force vehicles at police picket at Gate 2 of the shrine. One of the vehicles was completely destroyed.
Moreover, footage of the attack has been sent to the Crime Investigation Department (CTD) and other investigation agencies.
According to sources, the police’s elite force was made the target of the blast. Police have cordoned off the site of the attack and sealed all entry points to the Data Darbar in the aftermath of the blast.
Additional pickets have been set up across the provincial capital and security has been heightened after the blast.
A police official, while talking to media said their teams are working on evaluating the incident.
“We will bring assailants to justice,” he said, while vowing to continue crackdown against militants across the province.
“All departments including the Counter Terrorism Department are working. We won’t spare any efforts for the security of the citizens,” he added. The forensic staff has begun collecting evidence from the blast site.
Condemnation of the attack
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has also decried the attack, and sought an immediate report from the concerned authorities, Radio Pakistan reported.
The premier has commiserated with the bereaved families and directed authorities concerned to provide best possible medical treatment to those injured in the blast.
Strongly condemn the terror blast outside Data Darbar this morning. Have asked Punjab govt to provide all assistance to the injured & families of victims.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) May 8, 2019
Special Assistant to the PM on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has also condoled with the victims of the blast.
.jpg)
“Those who target shrines are the enemies of Islam and Pakistan. The enemies conspire to create instability in our country,” she said.
Moreover, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar has strongly condemned the attack, and sought a report from the Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) and the additional chief secretary of interior.
He has also summoned a high-level meeting at the Punjab Safe City Headquarters and cancelled his scheduled visits to Bhakkar, Sargodha and Sheikhupura.
Militant violence has declined sharply in Pakistan following a sustained crackdown in recent years and over the past two years Lahore, Pakistan’s second largest city, has been free of the kind of attacks that were once common.
However, officials warned that the attack highlighted the need for vigilance by people gathering for worship during Ramadan.
“People should remain aware of their surroundings when going to pray,” said Punjab provincial minister Mian Aslam.
.jpg)
Khan said authorities had maintained a general security alert but there had been no specific warning about a threat to the Data Darbar, which attracts large numbers of visitors every year.
All regional police officers and city police officers have been directed to examine security in their respective areas and remain alert during the month of Ramazan.
The shrine has been targeted previously – a 2010 suicide attack there killed more than 40 people – and is guarded by heavy security.
.jpg)
Sufi worshippers, who follow a mystical strain of Islam, have frequently been the target of bloody attacks in Pakistan by Islamist militants – including the Islamic State group -- who consider Sufi beliefs and rituals at the graves of Muslim saints as heresy.
The Data Darbar complex contains the shrine of Saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al-Hajvery, popularly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh. Originally from Afghanistan, he was one of the most popular Sufi preachers on the subcontinent.
