The provincial capital came under attack on Thursday as terrorists unleashed coordinated raids on three law-enforcement facilities, killing at least 19 people, including 14 security officials and 41 others sustained injuries, in fierce fighting, before security forces brought the situation under control. All nine attackers were also shot dead by security personnel, officials said.
The three attacks were launched within an hour of each other – starting 9.30am with a raid on the building that houses FIA offices and followed by assaults on the Manawan Police Academy and the Elite Force Training Centre at Bedian Road. The brazen attacks on tightly guarded security sites came just six days after a highly organized attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. A TTP faction – the Amjad Farooqi group – has claimed responsibility for the attacks, reported a private TV channel.
Thursday’s attack on three different sites was the fifth major terror incident in the city during the current year. At least 50 people were killed in the previous four attacks. On June 12-- Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, a leading anti-Taliban cleric, was assassinated, with six other people killed and five injured, when a suicide bomber detonated himself at the Jamia Naeemia madrassa in Garhi Shahu. On May 27--suicide bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with 100kg explosives near the offices of the capital city police officer (CCPO) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Around 27 people were killed and 326 injured. On March 30--around 10 terrorists entered the Police Training School Manawan. Eight cadets and one civilian were killed while 93 cadets and civilians were injured. On March 3--twelve terrorists armed with hand grenades and sophisticated weapons attacked the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team near the Liberty Roundabout. Six cricketers were injured, while six policemen and two civilians were killed.
The attacks in Lahore took place despite warnings from intelligence agencies that this would happen. Some of these warnings had appeared in the media. In spite of that the Punjab government, it seems, didn’t take it seriously, yet it found an opportunity making use of it for their political purposes and forced postponement of the by-elections already scheduled by Election Commission. If we are unable to stop the militants despite such precise intelligence, there is quite obviously something that is very wrong. We need to find out where these oversights or lapses or negligence are occurring and why. In times of war there can be no room for mistakes, especially ones that lead to death and destruction on this scale.
Will the Punjab chief minister being the chief executive of the province own this responsibility and make way for a free and fair enquiry into the matter, as the general public including the aggrieved people would like some heads must roll for the criminal lax and laxity on the part of the authority. We must find out why it has occurred and come up with ways to stop the other bombers, who even now may be chalking up their plans and detecting security weaknesses they can exploit.
The three attacks were launched within an hour of each other – starting 9.30am with a raid on the building that houses FIA offices and followed by assaults on the Manawan Police Academy and the Elite Force Training Centre at Bedian Road. The brazen attacks on tightly guarded security sites came just six days after a highly organized attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi. A TTP faction – the Amjad Farooqi group – has claimed responsibility for the attacks, reported a private TV channel.
Thursday’s attack on three different sites was the fifth major terror incident in the city during the current year. At least 50 people were killed in the previous four attacks. On June 12-- Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi, a leading anti-Taliban cleric, was assassinated, with six other people killed and five injured, when a suicide bomber detonated himself at the Jamia Naeemia madrassa in Garhi Shahu. On May 27--suicide bombers detonated a vehicle loaded with 100kg explosives near the offices of the capital city police officer (CCPO) and the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Around 27 people were killed and 326 injured. On March 30--around 10 terrorists entered the Police Training School Manawan. Eight cadets and one civilian were killed while 93 cadets and civilians were injured. On March 3--twelve terrorists armed with hand grenades and sophisticated weapons attacked the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team near the Liberty Roundabout. Six cricketers were injured, while six policemen and two civilians were killed.
The attacks in Lahore took place despite warnings from intelligence agencies that this would happen. Some of these warnings had appeared in the media. In spite of that the Punjab government, it seems, didn’t take it seriously, yet it found an opportunity making use of it for their political purposes and forced postponement of the by-elections already scheduled by Election Commission. If we are unable to stop the militants despite such precise intelligence, there is quite obviously something that is very wrong. We need to find out where these oversights or lapses or negligence are occurring and why. In times of war there can be no room for mistakes, especially ones that lead to death and destruction on this scale.
Will the Punjab chief minister being the chief executive of the province own this responsibility and make way for a free and fair enquiry into the matter, as the general public including the aggrieved people would like some heads must roll for the criminal lax and laxity on the part of the authority. We must find out why it has occurred and come up with ways to stop the other bombers, who even now may be chalking up their plans and detecting security weaknesses they can exploit.
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