Lahore Attack: Pakistan PM Sharif Demands Swift Action On Terror

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Pakistan’s PM has urged better co-ordination between security agencies against terror, a day after a suicide bomb killed more than 70 in Lahore. At a meeting of security officials, Nawaz Sharif said the nation’s resolve to deal with militants was growing. A number of arrests were made and weapons seized in five raids by security forces, the army said.

Taliban splinter group Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said it carried out the attack against Christians celebrating Easter. At least 300 people were injured, with officials saying they expected the death toll to rise. The area was more crowded than usual, as members of Lahore’s minority Christian community had gathered to celebrate Easter at a funfair in the park.

However, most of those who died in the attack were Muslims. At least one funeral, of 11-year-old Christian boy Sahil Pervez, was held on Monday. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar said the target of its Easter Sunday attack was the Christian community but it appeared to be an indiscriminate act of mass murder. Christians were among the victims but many of the casualties were Muslims. In the end, those killed and wounded were simply Pakistani citizens spending a day out in the park with their children.