LAHORE: People from all walks of life strongly condemned the Lahore suicide blast on Monday.

Punjab Governor Rafiq Rajwana and Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed deep sense of sorrow and grief over the passing away of police officials and citizens. They extended their sympathies to the bereaved families.

The chief minister directed the administration to provide best treatment facilities to the injured and sought report from the acting IG Police.

Punjab Assembly speaker Rana Iqbal and deputy speaker Sher Ali Gorchani also expressed their sorrows on the tragedy.

Former president Asif Ali Zardari said the perpetrators of the blast were beasts and could never be pardoned.

Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari directed party workers to donate blood for the injured. He said that the ideology of terror had to be defeated.

Pakistan Muslim League-Q President Chaudhry Shujat, former chief minister Parvez Elahi and Moonis Elahi expressed their heartfelt grief and sorrow over the martyrdom of a large number of policemen and civilians in the explosion.JUP president Ijaz Hashmi, JUI-F leader Maulana Amjad Khan, JUI-S leader Maulana Asim Makhdoom, Tehrik-i-Istiqlal president Rehmat Khan Wardag, Awami National Party’s Ehsan Wyne, PPP leaders Salim Bhatti, Azizr Rehman Chan, Afnan Butt, Civil Society Network’s Abdullah Malik, Awami Workers Party’s Farooq Tariq and others also condemned the suicide attack in their separate statements, expressed solidarity with the families of those martyred in the incident and prayed for the full and early recovery of the injured.

Published in Dawn, July 25th, 2017