Wagah border blast kills 55

Mangalore Today News Network

Wagah Border (Pakistan), Nov 3, 2014, (PTI):  Terror struck the India-Pakistan flag-lowering ceremony on Sunday as a suicide blast at Wagah border on the Pakistan side killed at least 55 people, including 11 women and three security personnel. More than 200 people were hurt.

 

The blast occurred minutes after the popular flag-lowering ceremony at the main Indo-Pak land border crossing.

“Our teams have confirmed that it was a suicide blast. A large number of people were returning after watching (Pakistan) Rangers’ flag ceremony at Wagah border when a suicide bomber blew himself up near one of the exit gates,” said Inspector General Police of Punjab Police (Punjab) Mushtaq Sukhera. He added that three Rangers personnel were killed in the incident.

Punjab Emergency Services Rescue spokesman Jam Sajjad said the toll is likely to go up. “We have shifted about 200 injured to different hospitals of Lahore,” he said. Quoting a senior doctor at Ghurki Hospital, he said the condition of more than 12 was critical.

Sukhera said the suicide bomber was stopped at the gate of the parade ground at the border where he detonated the bomb. “Up to 5 kg of explosive material was used in the blast,” Sukhera said. “The Rangers had made stringent security measures but it was difficult to check suicide bomber.”

“The bomb exploded outside a restaurant near a Pakistani paramilitary soldiers’ checkpoint. People were returning after watching the parade when the blast took place. Ball bearings were found at the scene,” another police official said.

Huge crowds gather every evening at the crossing, 22 km from Lahore, to watch the popular “lowering of the flags” ceremony and witness the energetic display of military pageantry that accompanies the formal closing of the post which India and Pakistan soldiers have conducted for decades.

In the wake of Muharram, the police had arranged for strict security measures. “We had reports that some banned outfits might target Shias, religious personalities, public processions and important buildings,” Sukhera said.

There were conflicting claims of responsibility for the attack, reflecting the divison within the umbrella group TTP. Abdullah Bahar, a spokesman for a TTP faction that is loyal to its dead chief Hakimullah Mehsud, said they carried it out to avenge Mehsud’s killing in a US drone strike last year.

But the Jamat-ul-Ahrar faction, which broke away from the main TTP leadership in September, rubbished the claim by Jundullah faction and said they carried out the blast.