A day after a powerful blast ripped through a public park in lahore city, Pakistani security forces on Monday launched an operation against militants, the media reported.
The operation was initiated following an order from Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif. The decision to launch the operation was taken at a high level military meeting attended by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, The Nation reported.
According to sources, intelligence agencies, Pakistan Rangers and the army conducted five operations on Sunday night in Multan, Faisalabad and Sialkot. The security forces arrested a number of militants and facilitators, sources said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif cancelled his upcoming visit to the US where he was scheduled to attend the Nuclear Security Summit later this week in the backdrop of the deadly terror attack in lahore.
“In view of the terrorist attack in lahore, which took a heavy toll on the lives of innocent citizens of Pakistan and caused injuries to scores of people, the Prime Minister has decided to cancel his visit to Washington to attend the Nuclear Security Summit,” the Foreign Office said in a statement. Sharif has urged better coordination between security agencies against terror in lahore.
At a meeting of security officials, Sharif said the nation’s resolve to deal with militants was growing. A number of arrests were made and weapons seized in five raids by security forces, the army said.
Sunday’s suicide bombing was the deadliest attack since December 16, 2014 Army Public School massacre, which killed at least 134 school children prompting a government crackdown on Islamist militancy, and the launch of the National Action Plan. “We must bring the killers of our innocent brothers, sisters and children to justice and will never allow these savage inhumans to over-run our life and liberty,” military spokesman Asim Bajwa said in a tweet.