A bomb went off at a Sufi shrine in the old quarters of this eastern Pakistani city on Thursday, killing two persons and injuring 27 more, an official spokesman said.
A large number of people had gathered at the ‘langar’ or community kitchen of the Baba Haider Saeen shrine near the historic Lahore Fort when the explosion occurred at its entrance late tonight.
The explosive device was planted near the shrine, State-run Rescue 1122 service spokesman Fahim Jehanzeb told PTI.
“Two persons were killed and 27 others were injured, five of them seriously,” he said.
The injured, including a policeman, were taken to Mayo Hospital. A bomb disposal squad swept the spot and collected evidence.
Initial reports said a low-intensity bomb was used in the attack but police officials later told the media that the timed device contained about 1.5 kg of explosives and was packed with ball bearings and nails.
Muhammad Hasan, a bus conductor, said, “I was standing outside my vehicle a few meters away from the shrine when I heard the blast.”
He said when he recovered his senses, he rushed to the spot and saw some injured persons.
The blast blew out windows at the shrine and caused panic among the people.
The shrine is usually visited by a large number of people on Thursday nights.
Security forces cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
No group claimed responsibility for the blast.
The banned Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, which considers shrines to be “un-Islamic”, have targeted such places of worship across the country, including the famous Data Darbar in Lahore.
