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Pakistan PM vows to fight terror after 70 died in Lahore As Pakistan mourns, prime minister vows to defeat militants
(about 7 hours later)
LAHORE, Pakistan — Pakistan’s prime minister on Monday vowed to eliminate perpetrators of terror attacks such as the massive suicide bombing that targeted Christians gathered for Easter the previous day in the eastern city of Lahore, killing 70 people. LAHORE, Pakistan — In an emotional televised address, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed Monday to hunt down and defeat the militants who have been carrying out attacks like the Easter bombing that targeted Christians and killed 72 people.
The attack underscored both the militants’ ability to stage large-scale attacks despite a months-long government offensive against them and the precarious position of Pakistan’s minority Christians. A breakaway Taliban faction, which publicly supports the Islamic State group, has claimed responsibility for the attack. “We will not allow them to play with the lives of the people of Pakistan,” Sharif said. “This is our resolve. This is the resolve of the 200 million people of Pakistan.”
Meanwhile, in the capital of Islamabad, extremists protested for a second day outside Parliament and other key buildings in the city center. The demonstrators set cars on fire, demanding that authorities impose Islamic law or Sharia. The army, which was deployed Sunday to contain the rioters, remained out on the streets. As the country began three days of mourning after Sunday’ suicide bombing in the eastern city of Lahore in a park crowded with families, Sharif said the army would forge ahead with a military operation on extremist hideouts and police will go after what he called the “cowards” who carried out the attack.
The military reported raids in eastern Punjab province, where several deadly militant organizations are headquartered, and said dozens were arrested. Also Monday, Pakistan started observing a three-day mourning period declared after the Lahore attack. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway Taliban faction that supports the Islamic State group, claimed responsibility and said it specifically targeted Christians.
The Lahore bombing took place in a park that was crowded with families, with many women and children among the victims. At least 300 people were wounded in the bombing. But most of those killed were Muslims who also had been in the popular park for the holiday. Many women and children were among the victims, and dozens of families held tearful funerals Monday for their slain relatives. At least 300 people were wounded.
Even though a breakaway Taliban group, known as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, said it specifically targeted Pakistan’s Christian community, most of those killed in Lahore were Muslims, who were also gathered in the park for the Sunday weekend holiday. The park is a popular spot in the heart of Lahore. Sharif, who canceled a visit to the United States to attend a nuclear summit, also warned extremists against using Islam to justify their violence in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Of the dead, 14 have been identified as Christians and 44 as Muslim, according to Lahore Police Superintendent Mohammed Iqbal. Another 12 bodies have not yet been identified, he said. Pakistan has suffered a series of attacks in recent months, and Sharif said militants are hitting “soft targets” like playgrounds and schools because military and police operations are putting pressure on their operations.
Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the breakaway Taliban faction, told The Associated Press late Sunday that along with striking Christians celebrating Easter, the attack also meant to protest Pakistan’s military operation in the tribal regions. The same militant group also took responsibility for the twin bombings of a Christian Church in Lahore last year. Sharif met with security officials earlier in the day, and raids and dozens of arrests were carried out in eastern Punjab province, where several militant organizations are headquartered.
In recent weeks, Pakistan’s Islamist parties have been threatening widespread demonstration to protest what they say is Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s pro-Western stance. They have also denounced provincial draft legislation in Punjab outlawing violence against women. The prime minister also visited hospitals in Lahore where many of the injured were being treated. Sharif was born in the city, which is also the capital of Punjab province, his power base.
Sharif had earlier this month officially recognized holidays celebrated by the country’s minority religions, the Hindu festival of Holi and the Christian holiday of Easter. “It strengthened my resolve when I met the wounded people,” he said in his address. “God willing, I will not sit idle until I bring smiles back on their faces.”
After a meeting with his security officials Monday, the prime minister called the perpetrators of the Lahore attack “cowards” and vowed to defeat the “extremist mindset.” Sharif also cancelled a planned trip to Great Britain. The attack underscored both the militants’ ability to stage large-scale attacks despite a government offensive and the precarious position of Pakistan’s minority Christians.
In Lahore, dozens of families were bidding final farewell to their slain kin during funeral ceremonies Monday. At the Vatican, Pope Francis decried what he called the vile and abominable bombing against Christians and urged Pakistani authorities to “make every effort to restore security and serenity” in the country, particularly for religious minorities.
Shama Pervez, widowed mother of 11-year-old Sahil Pervez who died in the blast, was inconsolable during funeral prayers. Her son, a fifth grader at a local Catholic school, had pleaded with her to go to the park rather than stay home on Sunday, and she said she finally gave in. In Pakistan’s capital of Islamabad, Islamic extremists protested for a second day outside Parliament and other key buildings, demanding that authorities impose Sharia law. The army deployed paramilitary Rangers as well as about 800 additional soldiers from neighboring Rawalpindi to Islamabad, to protect the center, which houses main government buildings and diplomatic missions.
On the outskirts of Lahore, in the Christian area of Youhanabad, mourners crowded into a church that was targeted in an attack a year ago. The leader of the protesters, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri told a local TV channel they would stay1 outside Parliament “until our demands are met.” Hundreds were hunkered down for a long stay, chanting prayers, occasionally raising anti-government slogans and brandishing long sticks.
“How long will we have to go on burying our children,” said Aerial Masih, the uncle of Junaid Yousaf, one of the victims in Sunday’s bombing. They were protesting the hanging last month of policeman Mumtaz Qadri. He was convicted for the 2011 murder of Gov. Salman Taseer, who was defending a Christian woman jailed on blasphemy charges. Taseer had also criticized Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws and campaigned against them. The woman, Aasia Bibi, is still in jail facing blasphemy charges.
Ten members of Qasim Ali’s family were killed Sunday in the park, all Muslims. His 10 year-old nephew Fahad Ali lay in a a bed in is home, his battered body almost completely damaged. He had lost his parents and a sister, another two sisters were badly injured. In recent weeks, Pakistan’s Islamist parties have been threatening widespread demonstration to protest what they say is Sharif’s pro-Western stance. They have also denounced draft legislation in Punjab province that outlaws violence against women.
“I don’t know how I will be able to do anything, to continue at school,” he cried. Earlier this month, Sharif had officially recognized holidays celebrated by Pakistan’s minority religions, including Easter and the Hindu festival of Holi.
Forensic experts sifted through the debris in the park. The suicide bomb had been a crude devise loaded with ball bearings, designed to rip through the bodies of its victims to cause maximum damage, said counter-terrorism official Rana Tufail. He identified the suicide bomber as Mohammed Yusuf, saying he was known as a militant recruiter. Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the breakaway Taliban faction, told The Associated Press that along with striking at Christians celebrating Easter, the bombing also was meant to protest military operations in the tribal regions. The same militant group also took responsibility for the twin bombings of a Christian church in Lahore last year.
Malala Yousafzai, a young Nobel Peace Laureate and champion of girls’ education — herself a survivor of a horrific Taliban shooting — said she was “devastated by the senseless killing of innocent people in Lahore.” But of the 72 dead from Sunday’s attack, 14 have been identified as Christians and 44 as Muslim, said Lahore Police Superintendent Mohammed Iqbal. The rest have not been identified.
Shama Pervez, a widow who lost her 11-year-old son Sahil in the bombing, was inconsolable at his funeral. A fifth-grader at a Catholic school, he had pleaded with her to go to the park rather than stay home Sunday, and she said she finally gave in.
In the Christian area of Youhanabad on the outskirts of Lahore, mourners crowded into a church that was targeted in an attack a year ago.
“How long will we have to go on burying our children?” asked Aerial Masih, the uncle of Junaid Yousaf, one of Sunday’s victims.
Ten members of Qasim Ali’s family were killed in the park, and all were Muslims. His 10-year-old nephew, Fahad Ali, lay wounded in a bed at home. He had lost his parents and a sister, and another two sisters also were badly injured.
“I don’t know how I will be able to do anything to continue at school!” he cried.
Forensic experts searched debris in the park. The bomb had been a crude device loaded with ball bearings, designed to rip through the victims for maximum damage, said counterterrorism official Rana Tufail. He identified the suicide bomber as Mohammed Yusuf, a known militant recruiter.
Nobel peace prize laureate Malala Yousafzai, herself a survivor of a Taliban shooting, said she was “devastated by the senseless killing of innocent people in Lahore.”
“My heart goes out to the victims and their families and friends,” she said. “Every life is precious and must be respected and protected.”“My heart goes out to the victims and their families and friends,” she said. “Every life is precious and must be respected and protected.”
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Lahore bombing, saying that in targeting a park filled with children, the attack “revealed the face of terror, which knows no limits and values.” White House spokesman Josh Earnest called the bombing “grotesque.”
France expressed its “solidarity in these difficult moments” to the authorities and the people of Pakistan and underlined “the inflexible will of our country to continue to battle terrorism everywhere.” “The fact that you have an extremist organization targeting religious minorities and children is an outrage,” he said, also noting the high number of Muslims among the victims.
Analyst and prominent author of books on militants in Pakistan, Zahid Hussain, said Sunday’s violence was a coordinated show of strength by the country’s religious extremists, angered over what they see as efforts to undermine their influence. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said targeting a park filled with children “revealed the face of terror, which knows no limits and values.”
The military launched an all-out offensive against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan in June 2014. The operation, called Zarb-e-Azb, has seen over 3,000 militants killed, according to the army. In December 2014 , the Taliban retaliated with one of the worst terror assaults in Pakistan, attacking a school in northwestern city of Peshawar and killing 150 people, mainly children. France expressed its “solidarity in these difficult moments” with Pakistan and underlined “the inflexible will of our country to continue to battle terrorism everywhere.”
Hussain said the government has been sending mixed signals to Islamic extremists — on the one hand allowing banned radical groups to operate unhindered under new names and radical leaders to openly give inciting speeches, while on the other hanging convicts like Qadri and promising to tackle honor killings and attacks against women. Zahid Hussain, an expert on Pakistani militants, said the violence was a show of strength by religious extremists, angered over what they see as efforts to undermine their influence.
“It is one step forward and two steps backward,” says Hussain. “The political leadership has to assert itself and say ‘no’ to extremism once and for all.” Pakistan’s military launched an all-out offensive against militants in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan in June 2014. The army says the operation, called Zarb-e-Azb, has killed more than 3,000 militants. In December 2014, the Taliban retaliated with one of the worst terror assaults in Pakistan, attacking a school in northwestern city of Peshawar and killing 150 people, mainly children.
Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif promised Pakistan “will never allow these savage non-humans to over run our life and liberty.” Hussain said the government has sent mixed signals to Islamic extremists. On one hand, it has allowed banned radical groups to operate unhindered under new names and radical leaders to openly give inciting speeches. At the same time, it has hanged convicts like Qadri and promised to tackle honor killings and attacks against women.
The local Punjab government announced it will give roughly $3,000 compensation to the seriously wounded and $1,500 to those with minor injuries from Sunday’s bombing. “It is one step forward and two steps backward,” Hussain said. “The political leadership has to assert itself and say no to extremism once and for all.”
In Islamabad, extremists had marched into the city on Sunday in protest of the hanging of policeman Mumtaz Qadri in February. Qadri was convicted for the 2011 murder of governor Salman Taseer, who was defending a Christian woman jailed on blasphemy charges. Taseer had also criticized Pakistan’s harsh blasphemy laws and campaigned against them. Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif promised Pakistan “will never allow these savage nonhumans to overrun our life and liberty.”
They rallied anew Monday, demanding that the Christian woman also be hanged and that authorities impose Islamic law or Sharia. The woman, Aasia Bibi, is still in jail facing blasphemy charges. Punjab’s government said it will give about $3,000 in compensation to the seriously wounded and $1,500 to those with minor injuries from the bombing.
The army deployed Pakistan paramilitary Rangers as well as about 800 additional soldiers from neighboring Rawalpindi to Islamabad, to protect the center, which houses main government buildings and diplomatic missions.
In Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, the Press Club was ransacked by pro-Qadri supporters on Sunday. Several Pakistani journalists were roughed up and some equipment was damaged. Extremists were regrouping in Karachi ahead of rallies Monday in the country’s financial center.
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Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press Writers Asif Shahzad and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Asim Tanveer in Multan, Pakistan, also contributed to this report. Gannon reported from Islamabad. Associated Press writers Asif Shahzad and Munir Ahmed in Islamabad and Asim Tanveer in Multan contributed to this report.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.