10 martyred in suicide blast at Data Darbar

LAHORE: At least 10 people were martyred and 25 injured in a suicide blast outside Data Darbar shrine in Lahore on Wednesday, drawing widespread condemnation.

The blast—which a faction of Taliban claimed by email—occurred near the entrance gate for female visitors to the 11th-century Data Darbar shrine, one of the largest Sufi shrines in South Asia, as the country marks the holy month of Ramadan.

Husks of vehicles littered the pavement near the shrine as first responders rushed to the scene while armed security forces fanned out in the area. The emergency room at the Mayo Hospital in Lahore was crowded with the wounded, and people searching for loved ones, an AFP reporter saw.

Among them was Azra Bibi, whose son Muhammad Shahid cares for visitors’ shoes—which must be removed before entering. He has been missing since the blast, she said.

“They are not Muslims,” she told AFP, referring to the attackers. “They even targeted worshippers.” The shrine has long been home to Sufi festivals. It has been targeted previously, in a 2010 suicide attack which martyred more than 40 people.

Since then the area has been increasingly hemmed in by heavy security, with visitors forced to pass through several layers of screening before they can enter the complex.

Senior police official Muhammad Ashfaq told a press conference that the security personnel at the shrine were targeted. Three police officials, two security guards and five civilians including a child were among the dead, Punjab province chief minister Usman Buzdar said.

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.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit the shrine each spring to mark his death anniversary, while it is also crowded weekly with devotees listening to Qawwali.—AFP

News Desk adds: Punjab police chief Capt (retd) Arif Nawaz Khan confirmed the attack targeted the police force. He said 7kg explosives were used in the blast. According to DIG Operations Lahore Ashfaq Ahmad Khan at least 25 people were being treated for injuries, some of whom were in critical condition.

“The blast took place around 8:45am outside Gate number 2, where the police personnel were deployed for security,” he said.

The martyred police officers were identified as Head Constable Shahid Nazir, Head Constable Muhammad Sohail and Constable Muhammad Saleem.

Punjab Police Spokesperson Nayab Haider told Geo News initial investigation suggested it was a suicide attack. “It was a suicide bombing. The target was a vehicle of the elite (police) force that was stationed outside the gate for checking,” he said.

Lahore Deputy Commissioner Saleha Saeed told media one of the dead bodies brought to Mayo Hospital was that of the suspected attacker.

“It was a suicide attack. Ball bearings were also used in the attack,” she told reporters.

Entry to Data Darbar was stopped in the aftermath of the blast, and devotees were asked to turn away as police conducted an initial investigation into the incident.

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Khan Buzdar has ordered an inquiry into the attack, said a spokesperson Dr Shahbaz Gill.