Lahore: It was a blast so powerful that it ripped apart the heart of Lahore. At 10 :15 am on Wednesday morning, a group of men drove up in a car filled with explosives. They broke the security barriers, opened fire before detonating the bomb.
A huge explosion, apparently targetting the Punjab province headquarters of the ISI has left at least 24 people dead. The explosion occurred near the Mall Road in the crowded Civil Lines area that houses several buildings, including the Punjab headquarters of the intelligence agency ISI.
Two months ago the terrorists attacked another police camp in Lahore. The suicide bomber who apparently came in an ambulance blew himself up just short of the Lahore High Court.
The worst hit was Rescue 1 - the headquarters of emergency response of the city police. But the devastation engulfed everything around it.
Nearby offices of the ISI intelligence service were also damaged.
The immediate task was to rescue those buried inside the rubble.
And then, amid the chaos, there was a breakthrough when security forces arrested 3 men, suspected to be behind the blast.
According to Pakistan media reports, the attack was to try and free Hafiz Sayeed, founder of the Lashkar, who now heads the Jammat ud Dawaa - a group long said to be a front for the Lashkar- e-Toiba. Sayeed recently arrested is wanted by India for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.
The Pakistan government linked the attack to Taliban insurgents they are battling in the Swat valley.
"Enemies of Pakistan who want to destabilise the country are coming here after their defeat in Swat. There is a war and this is a war for our survival," said Rehman Malik, Interior Minister, Pakistan.
This is the sixth major terror attack in Lahore since January last year. Just recently, the Sri Lankan cricket team was targetted when a group of terrorists opened fire on them.