According to sources, the investigators have achieved a breakthrough in the Johar Town blast case. The Law Enforcement Agencies (LEA) have arrested a suspect, Eid Gul, who is believed to be the man who parked the explosive-laden vehicle.
Three people were killed and scores were left injured when a vehicle laden with explosives blew up in the city’s Johar Town near Hafiz Saeed’s residence last week. Police said militants had targeted police in the explosion.
Lahore Police has arrested one Peter David Paul from inside a plane at Allama Iqbal Airport in connection with Johar Town’s blast. Peter is from Karachi.
— Adeel Raja (@adeelraja) June 24, 2021
Inspector General Police (IGP) Inam Ghani surmised that police had been targeted in the attack. While speaking to the media shortly after the blast, he had advised people to not pay any heed to rumours related to the blast.
The IGP had the media that the CTD is probing the incident and a detailed report will be shared about the nature of the blast and the material used.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that Punjab police is closing in on the culprits wanted in Lahore’s Johar Town blast.
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— ARY NEWS (@ARYNEWSOFFICIAL) June 24, 2021
“We are not sure what caused the explosion or whether it was a planted device [that caused the explosion], or a suicide blast,” he had said at the time.
In response to a question whether Hafiz Saeed — the leader of the outlawed Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) was the target — Ghani had said: “There is a police picket near the house of a high-value target, which is why the vehicle could not have gone near the house.” This is why he believes the police were targeted, reported local media.
Was the attack a warning?
Some sources claim that the attack was a warning for Pakistan in the light of ongoing regional situation.
Lahore blast is a warning shot for Pakistan. Tow US line on Afghanistan or face consequences. Act of Indian terrorist cell. Such hostile actions may continue. Need to be resilient, steadfast & prepared. #JoharTown #IndiaBehindLahoreBlast #LahoreBlast @MirMAKOfficial @FarooqHKhan
— Muhammad Haroon Aslam (@AVeteran1956) June 23, 2021
In 2020, Pakistan handed over a dossier on India’s terror campaign to United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, urging him to prevail on New Delhi to desist from its illegal and aggressive activities.
Notably, since 2014, Pakistan has lost 83,000 civilians and soldiers in the fight against terrorism, which also caused a massive setback to the country’s economic and social development — to the tune of $126 billion.
Read More:Â UN must call out India on its state-sponsored terrorism in Pakistan
While Pakistan has successfully eradicated terrorist outfits from its soil, but in 2020 cross-border terrorist attacks from ungoverned spaces in Afghanistan got escalated.