Over a score people were killed and 130 injured in an explosion at a CNG station in the central Punjab city-district of Faislabad on Tuesday. The target was to be the local ISI office in the fortified Civil Lines area of this industrial area that is also the third largest city of the country.
The Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility and said it was directed at the ISI office, according to AP. Police said the bomb-laden car was parked at the CNG station and the explosives were detonated with a remote controlled device but the ISI office was unscathed.
The explosion triggered more blasts due to the gas cylinders at the filling station increasing the impact. Steps were taken to ensure against further gas leaks from the 100-odd gas cylinders stacked up in the station.
The blast brought down the roof of the filling station and portions of several buildings in the vicinity including the cargo office the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines. Many of the injured were trapped under the debris.
This year has seen a spurt in attacks on offices of security personnel in not just Punjab but also Khyber Pukhtoonkhwa. Since 2009, security personnel have come in for repeated attacks in retaliation to the ongoing operations against terrorists.
Meanwhile, the U.S. drones entered Pakistani territory again on Tuesday after nearly a fortnight to strike at a suspected terrorist hideout in South Waziristan. Five persons are reported to have been killed in this drone attack.
