Bomb blast in Lahore

Reports are coming through that there has been a bomb blast in Lahore it took place after Friday prayers and a mosque was demolished. The location was near Jamia Naseemia.

So far, four are killed, many more injured. It is a suicide blast.

There has also been a simultaneous blast, a suicide attack at an office near an army cantonment at Noshehra. There are 30 injured and three reported killed.

These are most likelyTaliban revenge attacks on account of the Pakistani military offensive in the NWFP.

The trend is for two to three vehicles to be used in these attacks, with firing as well as bombs being used. But in Peshawar, last night, at yet another attack, the technique changed again with a hand grenade being used.

Militants warned that there will be more attacks. At the mosque, a cleric is reported killed. Dr Sarfraz Naeemi was outspoken in his condemnation of suicide attacks, saying that they were unislamic.

Currently security in cities like Lahore is at a heightened level, with cordons and an increase in the number of police and army visible on the streets. Airports are on high alert, with travellers being asked to report three-four hours in advance. An emergency has been declared in hospitals in Lahore.