2 Dead, 16 Injured In Blast Near LeT Founder Hafiz Saeed’s Residence
(This was originally posted in Hindustan Times)
Two persons were killed and 16 more injured when an explosion occurred a short distance from Lashkar-e-Taiba founder Hafiz Saeed’s home in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Wednesday, according to media reports.
The blast went off at a house located about 120 metres from Saeed’s residence in Johar Town, TV news channels reported citing police officials. Lahore police chief Ghulam Mehmood Dogar told reporters two of the injured died in Jinnah Hospital. Saeed has for long had a residence in Johar Town. However, he is currently in jail in Lahore after he was arrested and convicted last year in a string of cases related to his involvement in terror financing.
Dogar also told reporters the incident appeared to be a “bomb blast” but investigations were underway to determine the exact nature of the explosion. Lahore’s deputy commissioner Mudassir Riaz Malik told reporters the blast had created a crater. “We will only be able to determine the cause after carrying out an investigation,” he said.
Women, children and a police official were among the injured and some of them were in a critical condition, according to the media reports. Images and footage beamed on TV channels showed the facade of the building and several vehicles suffered extensive damage in the blast. Several nearby houses were also damaged. Police and bomb disposal teams reached the site soon after the incident.
An eyewitness told Geo News channel that an unidentified man parked a motorcycle near the house and it later exploded. Punjab province chief minister Usman Buzdar sought a report on the incident from the provincial police chief. Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed also sought a report on the incident from Punjab’s chief secretary and police chief. He said in a tweet that federal agencies were assisting the Punjab government in the investigation.
