Four soldiers among six martyred in suicide attack on census team in Lahore

LAHORE: Four security personnel and two government officials embraced martyrdom, while 22 were injured in a suicide attack on a convoy of census teams on Lahore’s Bedian Road on Wednesday.

The security sources have confirmed the martyrdom of four soldiers, while the Punjab government spokesperson said two civilians were killed in the explosion that rocked the area at 07:45 am.

The forensic teams are collecting the evidences from the crime scene and the head of the suspected suicide bomber has also been found.

A source confided that the bomber chased the van along with the facilitator and blew himself up when reached closed to the soldiers.

The incident in a cantonment area show the deep penetration of the militants, said Rana Jawwad, Director New Geo News.

Punjab Law Minister said the security threat was imminent on census teams and the government has been very vigilant in this regard.

A forensic team arrives at the scene of a suicide bomb attack on a census team in Lahore.

Geo News Bureau Chief Raees Ansari said an important meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif couple of days ago took stock of security situation in the province.

More than 20 people were killed in an attack on Imambargah last Friday in Parachinar.

The army launched military operation Raddul Fasaad across the country after a series of terror incidents in the country.

The minister said the process of census will not be stopped at any cost, the government is determined to eliminate the militancy from the country and halting the census will be tantamount to succumbing to their pressure.

Although no group has claimed the reasonability of today’s incident but the terror outfit Jamat-ul Ahrar has claimed the earlier attacks in the provincial capital. The law minister said the groups behind recent attacks in Punjab are based in Afghanistan and the border along Kunar and Nangarhar needs to be sealed.

Pakistan has started fencing the Pak-Afghan border to stem the movement of militants across the rugged terrain.

Security expert Shahzad Chaudhry said focus on combing operation in the country is important we must cleanse our house from these miscreants.

President, PM Condemn:

President Mamnoon Hussain and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have condemned the incident. The prime minister directed the officials concerned to provide all the necessary assistance to the provincial authorities.

‘Perpetrators will not go unpunished’

While visiting the injured of the Bedian Road suicide blast, Corps Commander Lieutenant General Sadiq Ali said we will not let attackers go unpunished.

"The indiscriminate operation against terrorists will continue," he said

Census security beefed-up in Sindh

Inspector General Sindh, AD Khowaja has instructed to beef up the security for the census teams across the province after the Lahore blast.

Census will continue

The officials have said that the process will continue unabated despite threats and the suicide blast targeting census team.

.@CMShehbaz . @CMShehbaz has sought report of the blast at Bedian road.

— Govt Of The Punjab (@GovtOfPunjab) April 5, 2017

Census is a national duty: Army Chief

COAS Gen Qamar Bajwa, who is on an official visit to UK, has said that the soldiers deputed on the census duty were doing their service. Reiterating the commitment to eliminate the menace of militancy, the COAS said the census will be completed at all costs.