Click to play videoNew Delhi: At least 24 people, including many policemen, were killed and more than 70 injured on Thursday morning when a powerful blast took place near the Lahore High Court (LHC). The blast occurred when the LHC Bar meeting was underway.
The explosion ripped through GPO Chowk near the Lahore High Court at 1145 hours IST while a large number of policemen were taking up position in the area ahead of a protest march by lawyers.
Soon after the blast security services cordoned off the area and rescue operations rushed to the spot. The explosion also damaged numerous vehicles in the area.
“It was a suicide attack,” Lahore Police chief Malik Iqbal told Dawn News TV. He said police were “definitely” targeted, adding that between 15 to 20 police officers were dead or wounded.
According to initial reports from investigators, a suicide bomber is behind the blast.
Following the attack, all four provinces of Lahore have been put on red alert.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which will deepen Pakistan's turmoil ahead of February 18 parliamentary elections.
Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf’s government, a key ally in the US-led war on terror, has blamed two Taliban commanders linked to al-Qaida for a wave of about 20 suicide attacks in the past three months, mostly targeting the security forces.
Thursday's blast comes two weeks after PPP leader Benazir Bhutto was killed along with 20 others in a suicide attack after addressing an election rally in Rawalpindi, also in Punjab.
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