LAHORE, April 5 The killing of 24 people in the suicide attack on an imambargah in Chakwal was widely condemned here on Sunday.

PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif, Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Punjab Assembly Speaker Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan described the incident as a part of conspiracies of the enemies of Islam and Pakistan.

PML-Q president Chaudhdry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab president Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi expressed heartfelt condolences over the loss of innocent lives and prayed for early recovery of those injured in the incident.

MNA Hamza Shahbaz said the youth belonging to the PML-N had accepted the challenge of terrorism and they would use all their energies to combat the menace. He also announced postponement of the meeting to celebrate the restoration of judiciary and the Punjab government in view of the Chakwal tragedy.

Condemning the attack, Governor Salman Taseer said the inhuman act was extremely despicable. He also expressed sympathies with the families of the victims and directed provision of best medical treatment to the injured.

Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Chaudhry Zaheeruddin Khan said that every citizen in Pakistan was threatened by terrorism due to failure of the government to maintain law and order. The rulers had miserably failed to protect the people against terrorism and were content with condemnation of such acts. They should better stop playing political gimmicks and pay attention to the alarming law and order situation before it was too late.

Jamaat-i-Islami naib amir Liaquat Baloch was of the view that imperialist forces were targeting the sovereignty of Pakistan but the rulers had not learnt any lesson from the failure of the policies of General Pervez Musharraf.