Attacker behind Lahore blast identified: Rana Sanaullah

LAHORE: Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah on Monday said that the attacker involved in the blast near Punjab Assembly in Lahore has been identified.

The provincial law minister was speaking on Geo News show ‘Capital Talk’. He said that the attacker entered the site of the protest on foot.

Rana Sanaullah said that the attacker’s target was police personnel.

He said that at that time, there was a van nearby which faced the brunt of the explosion, without which the impact of the attack would have been far more devastating.

At least 14 people, including senior police officers, were martyred when a suicide bomber hit close to the Punjab Assembly in Lahore when hundreds of demonstrators had gathered for a protest on Monday, officials said. 

The powerful explosion also left dozens injured, with reports of more than 60 wounded being treated at different hospitals in the eastern city of Lahore.

The incident occurred as hundreds of chemists protested a new law near the Punjab provincial assembly building.

Read more: PM denounces Lahore blast, reaffirms resolve against terrorism

Chemists and owners of medical stores in Punjab had announced a demonstration near the Punjab Assembly building to protest the drug rules of the provincial government. The powerful explosion hit when hundreds of protestors were present at the location.  

In wake of the attack, the Inspector-General of Police Islamabad issued directives for the red alert, following which all routes going in and coming out of the federal capital were being strictly monitored.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and COAS Gen Bajwa condemned the terrorist attack in Lahore.

Read also: A timeline of recent terrorist attacks in Lahore