August 15, 2008	Friday	Sha'aban 12, 1429

LAHORE, Aug 14: The bearded man who blew himself up opposite the Iqbal Town police station on Wednesday night was accompanied by two other accomplices, says the First Information Report lodged on Thursday.

The FIR was registered by the Iqbal Town police under sections 302, 34, 109, 427, 186, 353 and 120-B of Pakistan Penal Code, 3/4 Explosives Act 1908 and 7 Anti-Terrorism Act against the suicide bomber and his two unidentified accomplices.

It said Iqbal Town investigation in charge sub-inspector Jafar Baloch was present near the Dubai Chowk bus stop along with his subordinates in connection with Independence Day security duty when some people came out from Shezan Bakery, Moon Market.

As they were 15 to 20 feet away from the policemen, one of them, a young bearded man wearing shalwar qameez, briskly walked towards them while his accomplices ran in the opposite direction.

The young man reached near the deployed policemen and blew himself up when one of the cops tried to stop him.

Police on the other hand is making efforts to trace the identity of the suicide bomber and his runaway accomplices as no militant group has so far claimed the responsibility of the attack.

Senior Superintendent of Police (investigation) Zulfikar Hameed told Dawn on Thursday that body samples of the bomber had been sent for DNA and other tests while his finger impressions had been dispatched to the NADRA.

“The work on body samples will start on Friday,” he said, adding that pieces of explosives had also been sent for laboratory analysis.

A police investigator, who is part of the high-level investigation team led by the DIG (investigation) Lahore to trace the identity of suicide blast accused, told Dawn that the bomber’s face, which remained unhurt apparently, suggested that he was an Afghan.

“The police have yet to trace the bomber’s two accomplices who escaped from the scene and there is a possibility that there might be more people (involved in the blast),” he said.

The official said initial police investigation and evidence collected from the crime scene revealed that nut and bolts were used in the locally-made explosive device contrary to the previous blasts in the city in which ball bearings were used.

The official suspected that the bomber might have links with the militant group which had committed suicide blasts at the GPO Chowk and Naval War College in Lahore.

Punjab IGP Shaukat Javed reportedly told newsmen that separate teams of intelligence agencies, Crimes Investigation Department of the Punjab police and Lahore police would investigate the blast.

PUBLIC VISIT: A large number of people, including women and children, visited the blast site on Thursday.

The police kept the area barricaded till Thursday afternoon for collecting necessary evidence but did not bother to remove human remains and blood before lifting the blockade.

People who visited the site were in a state of shock and anger. “It was a brutal act. My family is in a state of shock and has cancelled Independence Day celebrations,” said Adnan Mumtaz of Ravi Block, Iqbal Town.

Parveen Bibi of Sabzazar, who also turned up to witness the site, said she was extremely upset and it was difficult for her to celebrate Aug 14.

“I feel as if someone from my own family has died in the blast,” she said.

Qazi Shafiq Ahmed, who used to offer prayers at a nearby mosque, said that people were being trained and hired by the foreign elements to kill their own nationals.

“This suicide attack by a Pakistani has also killed Pakistanis,” he said.

Locals of Badarpura, Iqbal Town, placed flowers and bouquets at the blast site in memory of the victims.