A Taliban suicide bomber on Monday struck a police team near the residence-cum-office of Pakistan’s Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Lahore, killing at least 26 people, including policemen, and wounding 58 others.
Punjab law minister Rana Sanaullah said that an anti-encroachment drive was underway in the area and quite possibly police as well as the technology park could have been the target.
Lahore police chief Capt (R) Amin Wains later confirmed it was a suicide attack and the “target was police”. A state of emergency has been imposed in nearby hospitals.
The Chief Minister, who is also the brother of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was in a meeting at his Model Town office when the blast took place.
The Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed the responsibility for the attack. “Fida Hussain Swati — a member of our suicide squad — today attacked the infidels on a motorcycle,” TTP spokesman Muhammad Khurasani said in a statement. “Our message to the front line allies of infidels not to come in our way as we will impose Allah’s system on this land.”
