At least eight people, including five Elite Force personnel, were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police vehicle parked outside a historic shrine in Lahore.
Another 21 people were injured in the suicide bombing, provincial Police Chief Arif Nawaz said.
A video footage of the attack – that occurred on the first day of the holy month of Ramazan – shows a young boy approaching the police vehicle before blowing himself up.
The police vehicle was parked near entrance gate for female visitors to the 11th century Data Darbar shrine, one of the prominent Sufi symbols in South Asia.
Image Credit: Punjab Police
The attack took place after a period of a far-improved security in the Punjab provincial capital, which until five years ago was frequently targeted by militant groups.
According to Pakistan Today newspaper, Hizbul Ahrar, a splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban that has been fighting the Pakistani state.
“This attack was carried out at a time when there were no civilians near the police,” said Abdul Aziz Yousafzai, a spokesman for the militant group, according to the paper.
Over the years, Punjab Police have enforced strict security measures around Data Darbar shrine, a symbol of Sufi spiritual thought, peace, tolerance and inclusiveness for followers of different sects. The revered shrine – which houses a beautiful mosque in the heart of Lahore – has been targeted several times in the past.
![The Data Darbar Mosque Image Credit: Meemjee [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/78/Data_Darbar_Mosque.jpg?download)
The Data Darbar Mosque Image Credit: Meemjee [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)]
Pakistanis in large numbers visit the 11th century shrine, which has long been home to colourful Sufi festivals and a prime destination for the country’s myriad sects, making it a soft target for militant attacks.
Data Darbar shrine is the burial place of Sufi saint Syed Ali bin Osman Al Hajvery, who also wrote a masterpiece on Islamic teachings and influenced generations of thinkers with his message of tolerance, peace and spiritual elevation.
