7 Dead, 20 Injured In Bomb Attack In Lahore

Lahore: At least seven people were killed and 20 injured after a bomb ripped through a building in an upscale shopping area of Pakistan's Lahore Thursday, officials said, the latest in a surge in Islamist violence.

"It was a bomb attack," Nayab Haider, a spokesman for the provincial Punjab police said. Rescue services spokeswoman Deeba Shehnaz provided the casualty toll.

Security forces cordoned off the area and people were not being allowed to leave or enter.

"Forensic teams have arrived on the scene and we are verifying the cause of the blast," Mr Haider said. "There are casualties and injuries but we cannot confirm figures as the rescue operation is under way."

Initial reports on Pakistani television channel Geo News said a generator had exploded but reports at the scene speculated that a bomb had gone off, based on the extent of the damage.
 Pakistan has been struck by a wave of terrorist attacks in recent weeks, killing at least 130 people across the country and leaving hundreds wounded.

A witness who works at a bank in the market told Reuters that his workplace was shaken by a "frightening" explosion.

"We left the building and saw that the motor-bikes parked outside were on fire and all the windows in the surrounding buildings were shattered," the witness, Mohammad Khurram, said.

Pakistan has accused neighbouring Afghanistan of harbouring the terrorists who have carried out the attacks. Kabul and Islamabad routinely accuse one another of giving militants safe haven.

"The enemy is taking advantage of the turmoil in Afghanistan to launch terrorist attacks on Pakistan's soil," a foreign office spokesman told reporters at a regular press briefing Thursday as he condemned the attacks.

Islamabad launched a crackdown in the wake of the attacks, saying it has killed dozens of "terrorists" in recent days and carried out airstrikes on militant hideouts along the Afghan border before announcing the fresh military operation Wednesday.

Analysts said the military was seeking to limit terrorists movements from one place to another by carrying out a nationwide operation.
 "This operation will basically target sanctuaries... of militants in Punjab province and restrict their movements," defence analyst and retired general Talat Masood told AFP.

Pakistan had vowed to hold the final of its hugely popular Pakistan Super League in Lahore next month despite the surge in violence, part of an effort to bring international cricket back to the country, promising "head of state level" security for foreign players taking part.

The city, capital of Punjab province and Pakistan's second largest metropolis, was also the scene of an attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team bus in 2009. Pakistan has not hosted high-level visiting teams since then.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)