| September 2010 Lahore bombings | |
|---|---|
 The location of Lahore in Pakistan. | |
| Location | Lahore,Punjab,Pakistan |
| Date | 1 September 2010 |
Attack type | Suicide bombings |
| Weapons | suicide belts |
| Deaths | 38[1] |
| Injured | 250 |
| Perpetrators | Lashkar-e-Jhangvi Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan |
| Motive | Anti-Shi'ism |
TheSeptember 2010 Lahore bombings were a series of three suicide bombings which occurred on 1 September 2010, inLahore,Pakistan.[2][3] Thirty-eight were killed and more than 250 were injured when aShia procession was targeted.[4][5]
Pakistan which has a mostlySunni population has seen sectarian attacks against minorities including Shias who account for about 20% of Pakistan's population. It is estimated that 4000 people have been killed in religious violence over the last decade.[6] This was the third attack against Lahore's minority communities in 2010: in May twomosques were attacked belonging to theAhmadiyya Muslim Community, and in July theSufi community came under attack. While the government of Pakistan has banned several militant groups many of them have re emerged under different names and critics say that governments reluctance to act against them is encouraging them.[7]
These were the first major attacks in Pakistan since the country was devastated by2010 Pakistan floods.[6]
The blasts targeted a procession by about 35,000 Shia to mark the death anniversary ofAli whom they consider to be their firstImam.[3] The three blasts occurred within 2,000 feet (610 m) of each other.[8] The first explosion happened in the Karbala Gamay Shah area at6:50 pm local time. This was followed by a second explosion about 25 minutes later in Bhatichowk. The third blast happened inAnarkali Bazaar about 10 minutes after the second explosion.[5] Bodies of three suicide bombers have been recovered according to government sources.[3]Two days later the death toll rose to 38.
Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the bombings.[9]
After the blasts angry mobs attacked police stations and burnt vehicles leading to deployment ofPakistan Rangers to maintain law and order.[5] After the attack the authorities urged people not to hold outdoor religious meetings.[7]
Three days of mourning was ordered by the provincial government and all private and public institutions were closed.[5] The attacks were condemned by Prime MinisterYousaf Raza Gillani who vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice.[3] TheChief Minister ofPunjabShahbaz Sharif announced compensation of Rs 500,000 for those killed and Rs 75,000 for the injured.[10]
Following anotherattack in Quetta 2 days later, Interior MinisterRehman Malik told the press that militants want to fan the flames of sectarianism in an effort to destabilise the government followinga series of military offensives against them. He also claimed that Punjabi, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and al-Qaida and the Tehrik-e-Taliban are one and the same.[11]