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| Suicide Bombing Targeting Pakistani Police Kills at Least 26 | Suicide Bombing Targeting Pakistani Police Kills at Least 26 |
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| LAHORE, Pakistan — At least 26 people were killed and 58 others were injured Monday afternoon in a suicide explosion that targeted the police in eastern Pakistan, officials said. | LAHORE, Pakistan — At least 26 people were killed and 58 others were injured Monday afternoon in a suicide explosion that targeted the police in eastern Pakistan, officials said. |
| The explosion, which officials said was carried out by a suicide bomber, targeted police officers during a campaign by city government officials against illegal construction and encroachment by vendors and vegetable sellers on Ferozepur Road, in a busy neighborhood of Lahore, the capital of Punjab Province. A large group of officers had been assigned to provide security. | |
| The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and released a picture of the man it said was the bomber. The Taliban also warned that more suicide missions would follow in Punjab, the most populous and prosperous of the country’s four provinces. | The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack and released a picture of the man it said was the bomber. The Taliban also warned that more suicide missions would follow in Punjab, the most populous and prosperous of the country’s four provinces. |
| “Police were the main target of the attack,” Khawaja Imran Nazir, a provincial minister, told local news outlets. At least nine of those killed were police officers, he said. | |
| The blast occurred about 200 yards from Arfa Software Technology Park, a 17-story building that houses software companies and start-ups. | The blast occurred about 200 yards from Arfa Software Technology Park, a 17-story building that houses software companies and start-ups. |
| Umar Saif, a provincial cabinet member with an office on the 11th floor, said he heard a “huge blast.’’ | Umar Saif, a provincial cabinet member with an office on the 11th floor, said he heard a “huge blast.’’ |
| “The whole building reverberated, and a few windows were shattered,” he said. “We saw a small cloud and small fire and a few vehicles were on fire.” | “The whole building reverberated, and a few windows were shattered,” he said. “We saw a small cloud and small fire and a few vehicles were on fire.” |
| Six or seven bodies were strewn on Ferozepur Road, Mr. Safir said, adding, “We thought it was an electrical transformer but later learned it was a blast.” | Six or seven bodies were strewn on Ferozepur Road, Mr. Safir said, adding, “We thought it was an electrical transformer but later learned it was a blast.” |
| The area around the blast site, including an office of Punjab’s chief minister, was immediately cordoned off by the police. Paramilitary troops were called to help in the rescue effort, and security offices in the city were placed on high alert. | |
| By evening, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered as more debris was being removed. | By evening, a large crowd of onlookers had gathered as more debris was being removed. |
| Chauhdhry Akram, a rickshaw driver, said he stopped his vehicle when he heard a loud explosion and came toward the blast site. “I saw a man lying on the ground after being hit with a splinter. I had a water bottle and a piece of cloth that I use to wipe the rickshaw windscreen. | Chauhdhry Akram, a rickshaw driver, said he stopped his vehicle when he heard a loud explosion and came toward the blast site. “I saw a man lying on the ground after being hit with a splinter. I had a water bottle and a piece of cloth that I use to wipe the rickshaw windscreen. |
| “I gave him the water to drink and tried to use the cloth as a bandage and took that man to the hospital,” Mr. Akram said. | “I gave him the water to drink and tried to use the cloth as a bandage and took that man to the hospital,” Mr. Akram said. |
| A state of emergency was declared at all government hospitals in Lahore after the bombing, which was condemned by government officials and political leaders. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, urged party workers to donate blood. | A state of emergency was declared at all government hospitals in Lahore after the bombing, which was condemned by government officials and political leaders. Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, the leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party, urged party workers to donate blood. |
| An obscure splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, which comprises mainly Pashtuns, released a video earlier in July and warned of attacks in Punjab in retaliation for the Pakistan army’s operation in the tribal regions. Punjabis dominate the army while the northwestern tribal areas are overwhelmingly Pashtun. | An obscure splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, which comprises mainly Pashtuns, released a video earlier in July and warned of attacks in Punjab in retaliation for the Pakistan army’s operation in the tribal regions. Punjabis dominate the army while the northwestern tribal areas are overwhelmingly Pashtun. |