Bomb Blast in Crowded Daata Darbar (Shrine), Lahore

[Hyde]

i agree with rest of your post and just want to comment on this phrase

as for general public without a doubt general public is carried away because of its religious sentiments e.g. Muslims cannot attack a Mosque, its gotta be RAW/CIA/Mossad &

It is a law of nature when something goes wrong you suspect the mischief of your enemy first. For example if a child is abducted, his father may suspect his closest enemies before thinking about his friends. It is a law of nature. Similar is the case in here

India was/is and perhaps will remain our enemy and when something goes wrong, peoples starts doubting India before anybody else. Be it right or not but the common man always doubt his enemies before thinking about any other person.

Woh shayr hai naa ke

Humain to apno ne loota ghayr main kahan dum thaa
meri kishti thee doobi wahan jahan paani kam thaa

Its a very similar story here. Peoples suspect our enemy before doubting our own countrymen
and mind you, i am not saying anything against Raw, cia or mossad

 

[T-Faz]

like i said before,

In order to implement Quaid's ideology, you need education in worldy affairs Religion is not what matters

In order to stop these attacks, we need to promote education in religious affairs and teach them the right way of Islam.

These are two different issues. If we want to control these suicide attacks, we need to promote awareness among the common peoples in the light of Islam. Worldly education is not manadatory here although can be considered as a bonus point

The only people who carry out these despicable acts are from Madrasas where they have been thoroughly brainwashed. This is the only form of religious education that is prevalent now. We as kids learn to read the Quran in arabic but do not understand it. This makes us unaware of what is actually being taught to us through this book and because we are unaware, we become susceptible to anything that can be told to us as the final truth.

Education can only go so far, religious affairs equally do not prove anything when there are no role models available. How can one take an example and apply it to real life when he does not see it happening around him.

This use of religious education cannot occur for one reason and one reason alone. It does not exist in its true/original form anymore, all we can do is return to normalcy through the examples that are actually seen by our generation. Take Ataturk for example, he hanged the mullahs and saw his country prosper, today Turkey is the beacon of hope for other Islamic nations.

 

[Hyde]

The only people who carry out these despicable acts are from Madrasas where they have been thoroughly brainwashed. This is the only form of religious education that is prevalent now. We as kids learn to read the Quran in arabic but do not understand it. This makes us unaware of what is actually being taught to us through this book and because we are unaware, we become susceptible to anything that can be told to us as the final truth.

Education can only go so far, religious affairs equally do not prove anything when there are no role models available. How can one take an example and apply it to real life when he does not see it happening around him.

This use of religious education cannot occur for one reason and one reason alone. It does not exist in its true/original form anymore, all we can do is return to normalcy through the examples that are actually seen by our generation. Take Ataturk for example, he hanged the mullahs and saw his country prosper, today Turkey is the beacon of hope for other Islamic nations.

well this is why i am asking a group of scholars to visit each and every town of Pakistan. There are many peoples who cannot even afford to send their childrens to madrissah. There are different madrissahs teaching totally unislamic teachings due to differences or lack of understanding among the scholars. That is the reasson why i want one dedicated group of couple of thousands of scholars to be formed who will serve the peoples honestly and increase knowledge and hate towards terrorism.

 

[v9s]

ohh my dear v9s, You have taken my post out of context, I was just replying to the myth that 'Muslims cannot attack Mosques', just turn the page & read the article

I am really in no mood to go into a stupid theological debate regarding a coded book that can't be decoded by a common man but here is your answer.......
don't go on the tag, just listen

POST EDITED

To reiterate what i said:

A majority of the muslim population is ignorant about something as important their own religion. They tend to blindly follow the words of their religious "scholars" (who deem themselves to be the authority on Islam) or the words of their parents rather than bothering to research or discuss their own beliefs rationally or logically.

The Quran is clear:

[54:17] We made the Quran easy to learn. Does any of you wish to learn?

I guess you've made the Quran too hard for yourself.

 

[T-Faz]

well this is why i am asking a group of scholars to visit each and every town of Pakistan. There are many peoples who cannot even afford to send their childrens to madrissah. There are different madrissahs teaching totally unislamic teachings due to differences or lack of understanding among the scholars. That is the reasson why i want one dedicated group of couple of thousands of scholars to be formed who will serve the peoples honestly and increase knowledge and hate towards terrorism.

It is easier said that done, apart from minority sects, all other Islamic parties are affiliated with various political parties. The alignment of Islam and Politics in our Muslim countries has thus far caused all this to occur.

Zia made his first speech by saying that many leaders have only used Islam as a means for gains but he will use it to further the real message of Islam. The whole madrassa and Islamic scholars system was set up for what you are advocating but it backfired so badly that we are being made to suffer till this day.

Zia, a 'weak' soldier who played a vital role in butchering palestinians during black september was influenced and supported by religious parties just so they can gain power. The their own students were led astray for 'Jihad' in Afghanistan. Whose to say that these scholars would not do end up doing the same thing again.

 

[falconfx]

These terrorists may call themselves muslims but Islam doesn't advocate such acts.

You seem to be forgetting that most terrorists come from poor 3rd world backgrounds. Places with illiterate masses are the perfect breeding grounds for terrorist ideals. Corrupt mullahs take advantage of this fact and twist and manipulate verses and facts to brainwash young uneducated minds into committing these acts of terror.
You won't see many christian or jew terrorists because most christians and jews live in areas where the education level is high. These educated and well versed people tend to use logic and rational thought when they are faced with a similar dilemma as explained above and say "Hey, my religion doesn't advocate such barbaric acts for any reason" and subsequently come to a logical conclusion that any person asking them to commit terrorist acts is a liar and a loony and thus ignore them.


Besides, a majority of the muslim population is ignorant about something as important their own religion. They tend to blindly follow the words of their religious "scholars" (who deem themselves to be the authority on Islam) or the words of their parents rather than bothering to research or discuss their own beliefs rationally or logically.

Not all foot soldiers come from poor backgrounds, in fact a majority lot of them are educated.

Nidal Hasan, Abdulmutallab and Humam al-Balawi are jihadists who were educated and came from privileged middle- and upper-class backgrounds. Hasan was an American-trained U. S. Army doctor, Abdulmutallab was a London engineering student and the son of a wealthy Nigerian banker, and double-agent Dr. Humam al-Balawi was a member of the Jordanian professional class.

9/11 terrorists Mohammed Atta and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were both beneficiaries of Western university educations.

Recently, two Muslim New Yorkers—Wesam (Khalid) El-Hanafi and Sabirhan (Tareq) Hasanoff were arrested in Dubai by federal authorities for swearing allegiance and providing technical and material support to Al Qaeda.

Federal prosecutors accused El-Hanafi of trying to start his own “mini Al-Qaeda cell” and he was caught with seven Casio watches, which are the preferred bomb timers for Al Qaeda. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, Hasanoff received $50,000 from Al Qaeda and advised an Al Qaeda member how to use his passport to avoid detection by authorities.

El-Hanafi was born in Brooklyn to an Egyptian family. Hasanoff came to New York from Australia (judging from his surname, he is either from north Caucasus or Central Asia). Like the alleged perpetrator of the Ft. Hood massacre, Nidal Hasan, and the alleged Time Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad, both El-Hanafi and Hasanoff were middle-class graduates of American universities.

El-Hanafi and Hasanoff both attended CUNY Baruch College.

El-Hanafi’s and Hasanoff’s understanding of the American Dream was apparently to earn enough money to help Al Qaeda kill Americans. After graduating in 1998, El-Hanafi worked for Lehman Bros. Hasanoff landed a job at PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Main Stream Media outlets that reported the story were surprised that successful young professionals would abandon their careers and move to the Middle-East to help Al Qaeda.

Both current U.S. immigration policy and the anti-Americanism of the academia are responsible for this emerging phenomenon of Islamic terrorists with American college degrees. Tens of thousands of people from countries with strong Islamist terror networks enter the U.S. through the F-1 student visa granted to international students in American colleges and universities.

In 2008, 8038 “international students” entered America from Saudi Arabia; 2377 from Nigeria; 1783 from Malaysia; 1768 from Indonesia; 1107 from Pakistan; 819 from UAE and over 500 each from Egypt and Lebanon. Even if we assume that only half of one percent of these students are Al Qaeda members or active sympathizers, it still means there are about eighty of them. That is four times more than the nineteen hijackers of 9-11.

The alleged Time Square bomber, Faisal Shahzad entered this country on an F-1 visa. He studied at Southeastern University (which closed last year) and the University of Bridgeport. While attending the latter, Shahzad vented his fury at America and praised the 9-11 murderers in a rambling email.

 

[falconfx]

AP: Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack kills 42

ISLAMABAD – A twin suicide attack that killed 42 at Pakistan's most popular Sufi shrine has angered and frustrated Pakistanis, with some saying Friday that the solution to the country's terror threat is a U.S. exit from Afghanistan.

Most of some two dozen Pakistanis interviewed said that even if Islamist extremists were behind the slaughter at the Data Darbar shrine in Lahore, the root cause of the violence was America's war in Afghanistan, its missile strikes in Pakistan's tribal regions, and its alliance with Islamabad.

The sentiments underscored the low standing of the U.S. here. The wariness of the U.S. was all the more remarkable considering Thursday's attack was a direct assault on the moderate, Sufi-influenced Islam most Pakistanis still practice, and which the Taliban and allied Islamist extremists despise.

"America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas, and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America," explained Zahid Umar, 25, a frequent visitor to the Lahore shrine.
Qaiser Hameed, a car dealer in the southern city of Karachi, said the attacks that have occurred in Pakistan are "directly linked with the situation in Afghanistan and the American aggression there.

"There should be efforts to start negotiations with all the stakeholders in Afghanistan, especially those disgruntled elements who are resisting the American occupation there," he said.

Even those who blamed others saw an American hand in the attacks. Arifa Moen, 32, a teacher in Multan, said Washington "is encouraging Indians and Jews to carry out attacks" in Pakistan.

The targeted shrine was that of an 11th century Sufi saint, Ali bin Usman, commonly known as Data Ganj Bakhsh Hajveri, who traveled throughout the region spreading Islam with a message of peace and love. His shrine is the most revered and popular of Sufi shrines in the nation.

Thousands had gathered at the green-domed shrine when the bombs went off minutes apart. The blasts ripped concrete from the walls and left the white marble floor awash with blood.

There was no claim of responsibility, but Islamist extremists consider Sufism — a mystical strand of Islam — to be heretical. They have a history of attacking Shiites, non-Muslims and others they deem unacceptable. About a month ago, gunmen and suicide bombers attacked two mosques of the minority Ahmadi sect in Lahore, killing 93 people.

Pakistani officials condemned Thursday's bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore.

"Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths," said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack and said "the deliberate targeting of a crowded place of worship makes this particularly vicious," U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Polls in recent years have shown that support for the Taliban has dropped in Pakistan dramatically as violence has exploded. But that hasn't been coupled by a surge in support for the U.S. or the Pakistani government's alliance with it.

An opinion poll by the International Republican Institute conducted last summer found that 80 percent of Pakistanis believed the country should not cooperate with America in the war on terror. The poll had a margin of error of 1.41 percentage points.

The U.S. Embassy said the Lahore attack "demonstrates the terrorists' blatant disregard for the lives of the Pakistani people and the future of this country" and that the U.S. "will continue to support Pakistan in the fight against a common enemy."

America has expanded its outreach here in recent months. The U.S. also has pledged to spend $7.5 billion over five years here for humanitarian assistance, and is trying to help Pakistan overcome crises in its energy and water sectors.

But in Pakistan, where conspiracy theories are a national pastime and some of the most popular TV hosts in the powerful media are deeply anti-American, talk of such positive efforts is often drowned out.

"I don't think the U.S. can win the propaganda war," said Hasan-Askari Rizvi, a political and defense analyst. "Things here are so deep-rooted in Pakistan because of what has been happening in this country for the past 30 years."

The Pakistani government itself has been accused of lacking the will to crack down on militants in Punjab, the country's most populous and most powerful province, where Thursday's attack occurred. Many of the militants are part of now-banned groups launched with government support in the 1980s and '90s to fight the Soviets in Afghanistan and pressure rival India.

"Most people live in denial in this country," said Kamran Shafi, a newspaper columnist. "I'm not saying that the U.S. presence in Afghanistan has helped. But many people will not accept that many of these jihadis were manufactured by the state of Pakistan itself for its own nefarious activities elsewhere."

Pakistan has been offering to mediate between the Afghan government and major insurgent groups. The U.S. has endorsed an Afghan program to offer jobs and amnesty to insurgents willing to give up the fight and renounce al-Qaida. But the Obama administration believes the time is not right for negotiations with the hard-line Taliban leadership.

Rizvi, the analyst, said Pakistanis who thought the attacks in their country would end if the U.S. leaves Afghanistan were naive. The Pakistani militants "want power, they want domain — even if the Americans leave," he said.

He said the militants are not fighting against the Americans but "against the Pakistani government because this government which sided with them at one time is not siding with them now."

For some Pakistanis though, getting the U.S. out of the region is worth a try after all the years of bloodshed.
"Since America's arrival in Afghanistan, terrorism has come to Pakistan," said Faqir Mohammad, 45, a laborer in the northwest city of Peshawar. "As soon as it quits, peace will come to this region."

 

[Kompromat]

TTP condemns Lahore strike, denies involvement

Saturday, 03 Jul, 2010

MIRAMSHAH: The Taliban on Friday denied any involvement in a twin suicide bombing on Data Ganj Bakhsh shrine in Lahore which killed 42 people and wounded 175 others.

“We are not responsible for these attacks, this is a conspiracy by foreign secret agencies, you know we do not attack public places,” Azam Tariq, a spokesman for Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location.

“We condemn this brutal act. Our target is very clear and we only attack police, army and other security personnel,” he added.

No one has claimed responsibility for Thursday night’s attack.

The TTP, a key architect of a bombing campaign that has killed more than 3,400 people across Pakistan in three years, grabbed the global spotlight after the United States accused the group over a failed car bomb plot in New York in May.—AFP


http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/front-page/06-ttp-condemns-lahore-strike%2C-denies-involvement-370-rs-06



IF not them then WHO ?????

 

[Murshad]

It was a brutual attack on cultural and spiritual icon of Lahore. Irrespective of their own religious faith, it is still a tradition of lahories to go to Data Darbar for salam on major family event.

The wave that started on attaching shrines of spiritual personalities from NWFP has reached in the heart of Pakistan.

Whether we believe or not, we are at war and this war is not being fought on the front but warfront is right on our door step.

Unfortunately our elite class is still playing their blame game. Idiot chief minister has shown his “talented vision” by his hand-written statement.

I have spoken with my family and friends, Friday prayer was still “crowdy” even those who seldom go to mosque, went to say Friday prayer at Data Darbar.

We don’t go down so easily.

 

[deckingraj]

It is a law of nature when something goes wrong you suspect the mischief of your enemy first. For example if a child is abducted, his father may suspect his closest enemies before thinking about his friends. It is a law of nature. Similar is the case in here

Zaki if it is a matter of suspecting your enemy first and later on fixing the blame on real culprit then it is fine...However if you just stop at your enemy then the problem is how will it get solved??? Law enforcements people are accountable to people...Now when such attacks happen again and again then shielding behind enemy name is best tactic....The problem here is that majority of the people falls pray to such sentiments....

The same technique is used in India as well....Bombs after bombs were exploding here...It took as big an incident like Mumbai where common public said "Enough is Enough"...No matter who is doing it...who is behind it but what is our internal security doing??? Our home minister had to go and GOI took so many steps to counter terrorism...Now how good or bad they are only time will tell....

I hope Pakistani people also go after their govt. as soon as possible and force them to wither go or put a lid onto it...

India was/is and perhaps will remain our enemy and when something goes wrong, peoples starts doubting India before anybody else. Be it right or not but the common man always doubt his enemies before thinking about any other person.

I am sure so many educated folks here may not come under "common man" category....Anyways have explained my POV above..

 

[sparklingway]

On Lahore, Sufi saints and the militant mindset​

Jahanzaib Haque

by Jahanzaib Haque

Saturday, 03 July 2010

Lahore Challo

This was my family’s first trip to Lahore together, and we were determined to go despite admonishments all around.

“What about the Punjabi Taliban?! Its not safe!”

“You’ll get blown up. That’s for sure.”

“It’s ridiculously hot. You’ll pass out halfway through sight-seeing.”

“No” I replied to all of the above. “We are from Karachi, we can take it.”

A night on the town

My mother, my two sisters and I have just finished consuming an enormous meal at a roadside café in old Anarkali, and it is some of the best food we have ever had. It is 10:30pm, we’re on a Lahore high, and there is enough time for us to do one more night time activity before calling it a day.

“How about visiting one of the Sufi shrines?” I ask them. “It’s on our list of things to do; we may as well experience it at night and it’s a Thursday!” (Thursday nights see heightened festivities at all shrines.)

My elder sis, just recently returned from the US is cautious about the suggestion.

“Isn’t there a security risk? Aren’t such locations a target area for attacks? I don’t want to go.”

“Relax,” I say. “No one is going to attack a shrine – we haven’t seen that kind of terrorist activity in Punjab. Not to mention, what’s the likelihood a suicide bomber would happen to choose this night, this hour and the shrine we choose to visit to carry out an attack? Practically nil.”

At the back of my mind, I think of the attacks on the CD shops in Lahore which we reported just days ago. That had never happened in Lahore either. But really I reason with myself, what is the likelihood of such an attack?

So we all agree to the plan, but we cannot seem to agree on the specifics.

“Data Darbar” say my mother and sisters. Their reasoning is sound. Data Darbar is the largest shrine of its kind. It will be teeming full of people, the atmosphere will be electric, and it’s just a kilometer away from our current location – we must visit they say.

I’m against the idea.

“I want to see Pappu Saeein,” I insist. My sisters seem unsure. Pappu Saeein performs late at night at a far smaller shrine of Shah Jamal. It sounds shadier and not as appealing, but I am adamant; I have wanted to see Pappu Saeein in Lahore ever since we left Karachi. I refuse to be swayed, so we head to Shah Jamal.

Drums and fear

It is 10:45pm and we have entered the shrine of Shah Jamal. It is much smaller than I imagined and we are early. We climb the steps to the saint’s tomb feeling incredibly out of place and again I have to convince my family that coming here is a good idea.

We say a small dua near the tomb before making our way to the main clearing. There is a small crowd present, many of them smoking marijuana, some praying, and some idling. There is no security, and no one seems too concerned with our entrance as the drummers step forward. They begin their hypnotic beats, and people begin to sway. Some rise in early trance and start to move to the rhythm. I feel something myself. It is my mobile phone buzzing in my pocket. It is 11pm. I ignore the first message. I ignore the second. My younger sister is circling the shrine trying to take photos on the sly. My phone keeps vibrating, the drummers keep playing. Another message, still another. A call. I’m on vacation I keep telling myself; I will NOT answer the phone. Another SMS, another call. Out of sheer frustration I pull out my mobile to see what the fuss is all about.

Friend: Are you okay bro? Is the family with you?

Co-worker: At last your suspicions came true. Blast in Lahore.

Co-worker: Bomb explosion in Data Darbar.

Friend: Please tell me you are safe.

I am fixed to the spot, terrified. Here in Shah Jamal, there is nothing but peace. The drummers are beating their rhythm. No one has noticed that the world has gone mad just a few kilometers away.

“We’re leaving,” I tell the family. I do not explain anything to them but start descending the steps which lead out of the shrine. They follow me. There is no time to explain. My phone keeps ringing.

Half an hour later

We’re home safe in Faisal Town, watching the news. Others living in the house have joined us. No one can believe how close we were to the horrific scenes we are watching on the TV screen. I keep thinking about how we might have driven to Data Darbar. Would we have arrived before or after the suicide bombers? How did we think we would be safe visiting a Sufi shrine? What was I thinking? My family could have been killed. I would never have forgiven myself.

One of our elder family friends seated on the sofa interrupts my contemplation with a casual, off-hand statement.

“…well sometimes such attacks should take place you know. I don’t mean often, but how else will these ignorant people ever learn that what they are practicing is shirk?”

I realize then, that I live in Pakistan, in a sick society and I am too shocked to be ashamed. My family is silent. We know there is no point in speaking – this place is so infested with hate, its people often do not even recognize how they are fueling violence even as they claim to deplore it. We have grown used to it, so we do not react. We could have died in that attack, but our family friend does not seem to register that; he is now talking about how these damn Taliban terrorist types need to be bombed out of Pakistan.

I am reminded of the comments I spent hours cleaning up on the Tribune’s website on the release of a story titled, ‘The saints will protect Karachi from Cyclone Phet’.

I remember how the majority of comments were of this same militant mindset against those who spoke warmly of the Sufi saints. Kill the blasphemers, they said, in so many different words. These very same people, who wanted an end to violence, terrorism and militancy, wanted their fellow human beings dead for not falling in step with their own beliefs. And these are the educated ones. The ones who can read English and have access to the internet.

With a mindset such as this, we don’t need intelligence agencies; we need only look in a mirror to find the terrorists.

 

[ambidex]

India is spending billions of dollars in Afghanistan in an effort to stabilize it, so that Pakistan cannot take control of Afghan resources and expand its borders. If Afghan army is well trained and is able to control its resources, Pakistan will have to divert some of its formations to the west. That would mean either increased military spending by Pakistan or backing down. In Either case, India wins without fighting. Its a war of economic attrition in this case. Pakistan doesn't want a strong Afghanistan because then, they will have to keep their western border in check, which could raise tension between the "muslaman ummah" and its resources would be diverted from ze evil Hindus.

No need to answer him mate. We have our own problems which are now chronic and many incurable. Lets talk about this topic.
Please do not derail the thread as I am going nuts for last 24 hour trying understand a theory; who can do such inhuman act of terrorism to such a sacred shrine. Just understand the magnitude of this attack and loss of precious lives.

Regards

 

[falconfx]

No need to answer him mate. We have our own problems which are now chronic and many incurable. Lets talk about this topic.
Please do not derail the thread as I am going nuts for last 24 hour trying understand a theory; who can do such inhuman act of terrorism to such a sacred shrine. Just understand the magnitude of this attack and loss of precious lives.

Regards

What is there to talk about? This war would've been over much sooner if ISI would not have provided covert support to the taliban. The taliban in turn are running around freely terrorising the moderate citizens of pakistan and recruiting radicals in their ranks. US drone strikes are only contributing to more radicals being created every year who either join taliban ranks or covertly provide them shelter and support. At this rate, I don't see how Pakistan can support Taliban and still remain stable.

 

[Neither Right Nor Wrong]

i agree with rest of your post and just want to comment on this phrase


It is a law of nature when something goes wrong you suspect the mischief of your enemy first. For example if a child is abducted, his father may suspect his closest enemies before thinking about his friends. It is a law of nature. Similar is the case in here

India was/is and perhaps will remain our enemy and when something goes wrong, peoples starts doubting India before anybody else. Be it right or not but the common man always doubt his enemies before thinking about any other person.

Woh shayr hai naa ke


Its a very similar story here. Peoples suspect our enemy before doubting our own countrymen
and mind you, i am not saying anything against Raw, cia or mossad

Well then I think its time for people of Pakistan to realign their priorities. It time one starts differentiating b/w an everpresent threat and a present and imminent enemy.

India always has been and always will remain a threat to Pakistan, but
at present she is not your enemy.

This ever present doubt (that India might behind it) in the mind of common man, works in favor of these terrorists.

Who many a times are able to play a victim card(since there homes are being bombed in WOT,hence they are fully with in their rights to bomb yours)
and are able to sway public sentiment and cause confusion..

In fact if an opinion poll (if held) in streets of Pakistan, on "who the real enemy is" will not yield any clear results.

 

[sparklingway]

It seems that the guy IDed earlier as one of the bombers might not be a bomber after all. Investigations continue, so let's see how this one rolls.

No clue to bombers as Data Darbar attack toll hits 43 Taliban deny role in blasts; protesters demand govt officials’​

Saturday, July 03, 2010

By Arshad Dogar & Halima Khan

LAHORE: Investigators of the Lahore Police and intelligence agencies have yet to ascertain whether the head, recovered from the Data Darbar and later identified as that of a Hudiara resident belonged to the suicide bomber or to some victim of the bombings.

However, some parts of the heads of an identified person and unidentified persons have been sent to the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and the Forensic Lab for matching the Nadra records and for DNA tests, respectively. Meanwhile, the death toll on Friday rose to 43, while nine of the 169 injured are reported to be in critical condition.

One of the two recovered heads was identified as that of Rafiq alias Baba, 22, son of Malik Yasin, a resident of Rampura Khurd village in Hudiara police limits, Lahore. He was slim and bearded.

The police investigators initially believed that he was a suicide bomber and also took his two brothers into custody for grilling. First, the report said that he had been missing for a few months and his family identified his head at the morgue that might have led to that conclusion. However, the versions of Rafiq Baba’s family members, locals and his comrades contradicted the police claim and said Baba was a thorough gentleman and he never had never any link to any banned outfit or the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan.

Yasin, the father of Rafiq Baba, told The News that he had stopped Rafiq from studies after he passed Class 6 from the Budhana Primary School due to poor financial condition, some six years back. He said Rafiq, after leaving his studies, started working at a clothes stitching unit of his uncle (Yasin’s elder brother) in Tajpura Scheme, Hurbanspura, Lahore.

In the meantime, he became the Murid of Pir Mian Shamsh-ud-Din of Tajpura. He was inclined to the Barelvi sect and after the death of his Pir some two years back, he took Khilafat of his Pir at his own village in Rampura. He constructed a Hujra a few yards away from his house, pasted pictures of the shrine of Data Sahib in it and started giving ‘Taveez’ (amulets) to the people of the area. People also started visiting him from far-flung areas to get amulets.

Shahzad, a cousin of Rafiq Baba, said Rafiq was working under his supervision at the stitching unit and he had never observed anything wrong in the character of Baba. He added that Baba used to visit Data Darbar every Thursday along with his uncle and returned home after offering the Friday prayers. However, this Thursday he visited alone. Baba also used to take milk bottles to distribute at the shrine, he added. Locals of the Rampura village were of the view that Rafiq Baba was a pious person and he had no link with any banned organisation. Rafiq Baba had two brothers and three sisters and all were married except him. His elder brother Latif, 32, is an Imam of a local mosque and teaches Holy Quran to the children of Rampura village voluntarily. Baba’s other brother named Sharif, 30, is serving in Pak Army as Lance Naik. Rafiq’s father and elder brother Latif grazed their sheep and harvest their four-acre land.

During the visit of this correspondent to the Rampura village, not a single person spoke against the alleged suicide bomber identified as Rafiq Baba. Instead, everybody termed him a thorough gentleman.

Faqeer Sufi Muhammad Sharif Naqshbandi, who claimed to be the Baba’s teacher in Sufism, said Rafiq belonged to the Naqshbandi chain of Sufism, adding that he was a true lover of Data Sahib. He said it is a matter of shame for the Muslims to declare him a suicide bomber.

Rafiq’s mother Fatima said her son had never studied at any seminary. She added Rafiq had never gone missing from the house and he had spent most of the time at his Hujra. Rafiq used to get expenses from his father, Fatima maintained.

The heads recovered from the scene are mostly considered of suicide bombers, as the explosion of suicide jacket destroys the middle part of body while heads are tossed away from the crime scene. However, in the recent bombings at Data Darbar, both the suicide bombers had carried bags packed with heavy explosives, an altogether new style.

A senior police officer, related with the investigations, was of the view that the suicide attack launched in the basement of the shrine was of high intensity and had destroyed the complete body of bomber. He added that it seemed that the victim nearest to the bomber in the basement may have lost lower part of his body, and it might be his torso recovered from the scene.

SSP Investigation Zulfiqar Hameed said, during the initial investigations, it could not be established that the head, which was recovered from the basement and later identified as a resident of Hudiara, belonged to the suicide bomber. He said the parts of recovered heads had been sent to the Nadra and the Forensic Lab for identification. To a question, he said no suspect has so far been arrested. He said the quality of the CCTV footage received from the security camera was very poor, and it was difficult to identify the bombers who had crossed the walkthrough gate by pushing away the security guard.

To another query, the SSP said they had also grilled Rafiq’s brother Latif but no lead could be found, as Rafiq and his family belonged to the Barelvi sect. Moreover, IGP Tariq Saleem Dogar and LHC Chief Justice Khawaja Sharif also visited the Data Darbar and inspected the security measures.

Agencies add: People demanded a tougher crackdown on militants and the resignation of the Punjab government officials after the bloodshed. About 2,000 people, some armed, staged protests in Lahore, shouting “Down with Shahbaz Sharif”. “Such attacks have been taking place frequently in Punjab. I think now he should use his iron hand instead of threatening to use it after every such attack,” one Naeem told a private television.

“We have always remained peaceful, but our patience should not be tested any more,” said Raghib Naeemi, the slain Naeemi’s son. After Friday prayers, protesters carried placards urging authorities to close down religious schools where the Taliban’s fundamentalist ideology is taught.

Meanwhile, the Taliban Friday denied involvement in the twin suicide bombing. “We are not responsible for these attacks, this is a conspiracy by foreign secret agencies, you know we do not attack public places,” Azam Tariq, a spokesman for Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan told AFP by telephone from an undisclosed location. “We condemn this brutal act. Our target is very clear and we only attack police, army and other security personnel,” he added.

Police and intelligence agencies have arrested seven terrorists including four suicide bombers and three masterminds who were planning to hit targets after two days. The trained criminals have been caught with possession of 3,500 kilograms explosive, 20 suicide jackets, 25,000 rounds, rocket launchers and 25 police uniforms. It has been learnt that two of them were also involved in Manawan Police Training Center attack.