DUSHANBE, March 29, 2016, Asia-Plus – Tajik President Emomali Rahmon yesterday extended condolences to Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Sharif Nawaz over Lahore tragedy.
Condemning terrorism, Rahmon also expressed deepest condolences to the families of those killed in Lahore bomb blast on Sunday.
On March 27, 2016, at least 72 people were killed and over 300 injured in a suicide bombing that hit the main entrance of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, one of the largest parks in Lahore, Pakistan. The bombing appears to have targeted Christians celebrating Easter, but according to a senior police official, mostly Muslims were killed in the attack, with the majority of victims being women and children. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a group affiliated with the Pakistani Taliban, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Pakistani Taliban operates as an umbrella organization for various Sunni Islamist militant groups in Pakistan. They actively target religious minorities for attack. Christians, who make up 2% of Pakistan”s population, are frequently targeted by extremist groups. The 2013 suicide attack on the historic All Saints Church in Peshawar killed 75 people. In March 2015, the Lahore church bombings killed at least 15 people in suicide attacks on churches in Lahore. The Taliban claimed responsibility and warned that more attacks would occur
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