The September 2010 Lahore bombings were a series of three suicide bombings which occurred on 1 September 2010, in

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Thirty-eight were killed and more than 250 were injured when a

Shia Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...

procession was targeted.

Background

Pakistan which has a mostly

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...

population has seen sectarian attacks against minorities including Shias who account for about 20% of Pakistan's population. It is estimated that 4000 people have been killed in religious violence over the last decade. This was the third attack against Lahore's minority communities in 2010: in May two mosques were attacked belonging to the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and in July the Sufi community came under attack. While the government of Pakistan has banned several militant groups many of them have re emerged under different names and critics say that governments reluctance to act against them is encouraging them. These were the first major attacks in Pakistan since the country was devastated by

2010 Pakistan floods The floods in Pakistan began in late July 2010, resulting from heavy monsoon rains in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, Punjab and, Balochistan regions of Pakistan, which affected the Indus River basin. Approximately one-fifth of Pakistan's tot ...

Attacks

The blasts targeted a procession by about 35,000 Shia to mark the death anniversary of

Ali ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...

whom they consider to be their first

Imam Imam (; ar, إمام '; plural: ') is an Islamic leadership position. For Sunni Muslims, Imam is most commonly used as the title of a worship leader of a mosque. In this context, imams may lead Islamic worship services, lead prayers, ser ...

. The three blasts occurred within of each other. The first explosion happened in the Karbala Gamay Shah area at local time. This was followed by a second explosion about 25 minutes later in Bhati chowk. The third blast happened in

Anarkali Bazaar Anarkali Bazaar ( Punjabi, ur, ) is a major bazaar in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Anarkali also serves as a neighbourhood and union council of Data Gunj Buksh Tehsil of Lahore. It is situated in the region that extends from the south of Lahor ...

about 10 minutes after the second explosion. Bodies of three suicide bombers have been recovered according to government sources. Two days later the death toll rose to 38.

Responsibility

Lashkar-e-Jhangvi claimed responsibility for the bombings.

Aftermath

After the blasts angry mobs attacked police stations and burnt vehicles leading to deployment of

Pakistan Rangers The Pakistan Rangers ( ur, ) are a paramilitary federal law enforcement organization in Pakistan, operating under the authority of the Interior Secretary of Pakistan. Their primary purpose is to secure and defend sites of significance in the ...

to maintain law and order. After the attack the authorities urged people not to hold outdoor religious meetings.

Reaction

Three days of mourning was ordered by the provincial government and all private and public institutions were closed. The attacks were condemned by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani who vowed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The

Chief Minister A chief minister is an elected or appointed head of government of – in most instances – a sub-national entity, for instance an administrative subdivision or federal constituent entity. Examples include a state (and sometimes a union terri ...

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising ...

Shahbaz Sharif announced compensation of Rs 500,000 for those killed and Rs 75,000 for the injured. Following another attack in Quetta 2 days later, Interior Minister

Rehman Malik Abdul Rehman Malik NI ( Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician and a Federal Investigation Agency officer, having served as the Interior Minister from being appointed on 25 Marc ...

told the press that militants want to fan the flames of sectarianism in an effort to destabilise the government followinga series of military offensives against them. He also claimed that Punjabi, such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi, and al-Qaida and the Tehrik-e-Taliban are one and the same.

References

External links

In pictures: Blasts hit Shia procession in Pakistan

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, 2010-09-01 {{DEFAULTSORT:Lahore bombings 2010 murders in Pakistan Terrorist incidents in Lahore Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2010 Mass murder in 2010 Islamic terrorism in Pakistan Suicide bombings in Pakistan Violence against Shia Muslims in Pakistan Islamic terrorist incidents in 2010