CTD lodges FIR of Lahore blast under ATA

LAHORE – An FIR on the Johar Town bomb blast was registered against three unidentified persons by the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) late Wednesday.

Reports In local media cited that a case was registered on the complaint of SHO City Police Station Abid Baig against those involved in the bomb blast that killed four people, including a six-year-old boy while 23 others suffered serious injuries.

The FIR includes 7ATA, 3/4 Explosives Act, 302, 324, 148/149, and other serious provisions.

Soon after the attack, the law enforcers conducted raids across different cities of Punjab in connection with the blast. CTD along with other intelligence agencies have collected the evidence from the crime scene while ball bearings, pieces of iron, and the vehicle's parts have been preserved for in-depth investigation.

Officials have taken into custody several suspicious persons after yesterday's blast, reports claimed.

On Wednesday, the blast took place around 11 am in a residential area of Johar Town, police said. Visuals shared on social media depicted visible damage to nearby residences whose walls had collapsed and window panes shattered.

Punjab IGP Inam Ghani, who visited the area after the incident, told media reporters that ‘the explosion took place near the residence of JuD chief Hafiz Saeed’. Adding that ‘law enforcers were guarding Saeed's house at the time of the attack, resulting in serious injuries to some officials.’

These attacks are usually carried out by countries that want to harm Pakistan and its progress," he said. We have peace in our country because of our intelligence agencies, he added.

A statement shared by Punjab police quoted the IGP as saying that 'the vehicle (used in the attack) could not move much due to the police check post near the blast and the terrorists failed to do much damage due to the presence of the police team.'

Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar also sought a report from the Inspector-General of Police. The Punjab government announced that CM Buzdar ordered an immediate investigation of the incident.