A bomb attack in a residential area of Pakistan’s eastern city of Lahore killed four people on Wednesday, including a child, and wounded 17, police said, but there was no immediate claim of responsibility.
The blast took place at the BOR Society in Jauhar Town at the police picket outside Saeed’s residence.
The Punjab police chief Inam Ghani said there could have been a “major loss” had there been no police picket outside the house of the high-profile personality, referring to Saeed.
The cause of the blast is yet to be ascertained, the officer said. Multiple witnesses said that the glass windows of nearby homes and buildings were shattered. According to the media reports, the sound of the blast was so loud that it was heard in faraway areas.
The Punjab Emergency Service, also known as Rescue 1122, who are carrying out rescue services at the location said that more injuries are expected. The injured people have been shifted to the Jinnah Hospital where the condition of six of them is said to be critical.
“The injured also include policemen. The condition of six injured of the 17 admitted to hospital is critical,” said Dr Yahya Sultan of Jinnah Hospital.
Lashkar-e-Taiba was blamed for the 2008 Mumbai attack that killed 166 people, some foreigners and Americans among them.
Saeed, who runs Jamat-ud-Dawa, a charity linked to the militant group, was sentenced in November to 10 years in jail after being found guilty on two charges of financing terrorism.
(With input from PTI, Reuters)
