People in Lahore continued to mourn Monday as the military launched an extensive anti-terrorism campaign [Xinhua[
Amid an outpouring of grief and anger in the wake of a suicide bombing that killed 70 people and injured hundreds in Lahore, the Pakistani military has launched an extensive anti-terrorism campaign in pursuit of Islamist extremists.
On Monday, the military said it had identified the suicide bomber as Muhammad Yousaf Farid, a 28-year-old religious schoolteacher from Muzaffaragarh in south Punjab.
It also announced that it was conducting crackdowns throughout the state of Punjab, including Lahore and other cities such as Faisalabad and Multan.
Senior police cadres said on social media that they had arrested a number of suspects including people believed to have helped in the logistics for the attack.
It is expected that the government will give the military near sweeping powers to conduct house raids, interrogate suspects and detain them.
At least 29 children were among those killed in the suicide bombing on a public park where many had gathered to celebrate Easter.
More than 300 people were injured.
The Pakistani Taliban’s Jamaat-ur-Ahrar group claimed responsibility for the attack and said it was targeting Christians. This was their fifth attack in Punjab alone.
The BRICS Post with inputs from Agencies