At Least 65 Dead in Pakistan Terror Attack
(JTA) — At least 65 people, mostly women and children, were killed in a suicide bombing at a park in Lahore, Pakistan.
More than 300 were wounded in the attack for which the Pakistani Taliban faction claimed responsibility, saying it was targeting Christians on Easter Sunday, Reuters reported.
The explosion occurred in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park near the children’s swings. The park is a popular spot for the Lahore Christian community.
“When the blast occurred, the flames were so high they reached above the trees and I saw bodies flying in the air,” said Hasan Imran, 30, a resident who had gone to Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park for a walk, Reuters reported.
Police Superintendent Mustansar Feroz said most of the casualties were women and children.
A spokesman for the Taliban faction Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said the target was Christians.
“We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore,” spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said, according to Reuters. “He can do what he wants, but he won’t be able to stop us. Our suicide bombers will continue these attacks.”
Islamist militants in Pakistan have attacked Christians and other religious minorities often over the past decade.
The United States condemned what it called a “cowardly act” in a statement Sunday, saying it “stands with the people and Government of Pakistan at this difficult hour.”
“We send our deepest condolences to the loved ones of those killed and injured, and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Lahore as they respond to and recover from this terrible tragedy,” the statement said.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!