Sunday, March 27, 2016

Dozens Killed in Amusement Park Bombing

“May God shower his wrath upon these attackers. What kind of people target little children in a park?”- Nasreen Bibi, mother of a child injured in the attack. 

Pakistan BlastPhoto obtained by K.M. Chuadary/Associated Press


Over 65 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in a bombing that occurred in Lahore Park Pakistan. A branch of the Taliban known as Jamaat-ul-Ahrar has taken responsibility for the attacks.
“The target were Christians. “We want to send this message to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that we have entered Lahore. He can do what he wants, but he won’t be able to stop us. Our suicide bombers will continue these attacks.” -Ehsanullah Ehsan
They planned out the bombing to ensure the death of Christians during Easter Sunday. The suicide bombing carried out at Gulshan-e-Iqbal park which is a popular spot for children. All public parks were shut down and the government called upon the help of the people of Punjab to donate blood to the wounded. The explosion prompted a Facebook safety notification check that was accidentally sent to many people worldwide which is why many people may have received a Facebook notification asking if they were okay. The chief minister of Punjab has issued 3 days of mourning and death rates are expected to rise as most of the people injured are in critical condition. 

Questions: How is security supposed to reduce the chances of future attacks? How should the Pakistani government respond? 

Sources: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/27/dozens-killed-in-blast-outside-lahore-park-pakistan
http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/lahore-park-bomb-1.3508742

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The fact that they chose to attack children in a vulnerable moment of religious celebration is sickening. Children are not fair game, and this was a cowardly act that was rightfully met with almost universal condemnation.

Many of my Facebook friends have come forward expressing discomfort that activism takes a distinctly Western preference — that we care more about the attacks in Brussels and Paris than we do the attacks in Burkina Faso and Cote d'Ivoire. There is no life that doesn't matter. I hope we will remember this week for Pakistan as well as Brussels as we take steps to move forward and combat the influence that terrorism has had worldwide.