November 23, 2008	Sunday	Ziqa'ad 24, 1429

LAHORE, Nov 22: Three blasts caused by low-intensity cracker bombs near the Alhamra Cultural Complex, the venue of an international performing arts festival, left a teenager injured on Saturday night, police and rescue sources said.

According to witnesses, three people, including a TV cameraman and two employees of the Punjab Complex cafeteria, were injured in the stampede.

The arts festival, which began on Nov 13 and was to conclude on Sunday (today), was cancelled by the city administration. However, the organisers said they would hold Sunday’s performances according to schedule.

Police said that two blasts took place at the cafeteria of the adjacent Punjab Complex, while the third outside the cultural complex.

The first two blasts left windowpanes, doors and furniture damaged, while a boy suffered minor injuries in a third blast on the road.

The witnesses said that some families were having dinner at the dinning hall of the Punjab Complex when the first blast took place in the courtyard at 10pm.

People ran outside the hall screaming. The second blast took place behind the hall 10 minutes later.

That blasts also triggered a stampede at the festival, where a large number of people were witnessing performances of local and foreign artistes.

Long traffic jams were seen as panick-stricken spectators tried to escape from the premises.

A Rescue 1122 spokesman said the injured boy, identified as Hassan Nabi, was taken to the Services Hospital. He said the boy was passing through the place at the time of the explosion.

SSP (operations) Chaudhry Shafiq Ahmed told Dawn that low-intensity cracker bombs were used in the three blasts with an aim to frighten off visitors at the festival.

Punjab Governor Salman Taseer had left the National Hockey Stadium 10 minutes before the first blast, where a match between the national senior and junior teams was being played.