July 2010 Lahore bombings

Location| Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan
Date| 1 July 2010 (UTC+5)
Target| Sufi shrine

Attack type

| 2 suicide bombings
Deaths| 50[1]
Injured| 200+[1]

* v
* t
* e

Terrorist attacks
in Pakistan (since 2001)

Italics indicates attacks resulting in more than 40 deaths
‡ indicates attacks resulting in more than 100 deaths
Underline indicates the deadliest terrorist attack/s to date

2001|

* 1st Bahawalpur

2002|

* 1st Karachi

2003|

* 1st Quetta

2004|

* 2nd Quetta
* 1st Multan

2005|

* 1st Mandi Bahauddin (Ahmadiyya)

2006|

* 4th Karachi
* Dargai

2007|

* 1st Dera Ismail Khan
* 1st Charsadda
* July bombings ‡
* 2nd Rawalpindi
* 5th Karachi ‡
* 2nd Charsadda
* 3rd Rawalpindi (Bhutto assassination)

2008|

* 3rd Charsadda
* 2nd Parachinar
* 1st Swat
* 1st Islamabad
* 2nd Islamabad
* 2nd Dera Ismail Khan
* 1st Wah
* 1st Peshawar
* 3rd Islamabad
* 1st Orakzai ‡
* 2nd Peshawar

2009|

* 4th/5th Dera Ismail Khan (January violence)
* 6th Dera Ismail Khan
* 2nd Lahore (Sri Lankan cricket)
* 1st Khyber
* 3rd Lahore
* Chakwal
* 7th/8th Dera Ismail Khan (May attacks)
* 4th Lahore
* 3rd Peshawar
* 5th Lahore
* Usterzai
* 4th Peshawar
* 4th Rawalpindi
* Alpuri
* 6th Lahore
* 5th Islamabad
* 5th Peshawar ‡
* 5th Rawalpindi
* 6th Peshawar
* 6th Rawalpindi
* 7th Lahore
* 1st Dera Ghazi Khan
* 1st Lower Dir
* 6th Karachi

2010|

* 1st Lakki Marwat ‡
* 1st Bajaur
* 2nd Lower Dir
* 7th Karachi
* 2nd Khyber
* 3rd Khyber
* 8th, 9th & 10th Lahore
* U.S consulate/Timergarah attack
* 2nd/3rd Kohat
* 8th Peshawar
* 11th Lahore (Ahmadiyya)
* 9th Dera Ismail Khan
* 12th Lahore (Sufi)
* 1st Mohmand ‡
* 13th Lahore (Shia)
* 3rd Quetta
* 2nd Darra Adam Khel
* 8th Karachi (CID)
* 2nd Mohmand
* 2nd Bajaur

2011|

* Faisalabad
* 9th Peshawar
* 2nd Dera Ghazi Khan
* 4th Quetta
* 4th Charsadda
* 9th Karachi (PNS Mehran)
* 10th Peshawar
* 10th Dera Ismail Khan (police station)
* 4th Khyber
* 5th Quetta
* Karachi targeted killings ‡
* 1st Mastung

2012|

* 5th Khyber
* 1st Rahim Yar Khan
* 1st Kohistan
* Mansehra
* 13th Peshawar (airport)
* 11th Dera Ismail Khan

2013|

* 8th Quetta/3rd Swat ‡
* 9th Quetta
* 10th Karachi
* Election day
* Quaid-e-Azam residency
* 10th Quetta
* Mardan
* Nanga Parbat
* 11th Quetta/17th Peshawar
* 14th Lahore
* 5th Parachinar
* 12th Dera Ismail Khan (prison attack)
* 11th Karachi
* 12th Quetta
* 13th Quetta
* 18th Peshawar ‡
* 19th Peshawar

2014|

* 12th Karachi (Chaudhry Aslam assassination)
* 1st Bannu
* 2nd Mastung
* 20th Peshawar
* 13th Karachi (Jinnah International Airport)
* 14th Quetta
* Wagah border
* 21st Peshawar (school massacre) ‡

2015|

* Shikarpur
* 22nd Peshawar
* 15th Lahore
* 14th Karachi
* 3rd Mastung
* Attock
* Camp Badaber
* Taunsa Sharif
* 15th Quetta
* Jacobabad
* 6th Parachinar

2016|

* 16th Quetta
* 5th Charsadda (Bacha Khan University)
* 23rd Peshawar
* 16th Lahore
* 17th Quetta
* 3rd Mohmand
* 18th Quetta
* 2nd Khuzdar

2017|

* 13th Dera Ismail Khan
* 7th Parachinar
* 17th Lahore
* 24th Peshawar
* Sehwan
* 6th Charsadda
* 8th Parachinar
* 18th Lahore
* 25th Peshawar
* 4th Mastung
* 19th Quetta/9th Parachinar
* Chaman
* 19th Lahore
* 20th Lahore
* 4th Bajaur
* 20th Quetta
* 1st Harnai
* 14th Dera Ismail Khan (Ataullah Shah)
* Jhal Magsi
* 27th Peshawar
* 21st Quetta

2018|

* 28th Peshawar
* 5th Mastung/2nd Bannu ‡
* 15th Dera Ismail Khan
* 2018 election violence
* 22nd Quetta
* 2nd Orakzai
* 15th Karachi (Chinese consulate)

2019|

* 1st Loralai
* 2nd Loralai/Panjgur
* 23rd Quetta
* 20th Lahore
* 1st Gwadar

2020|

* 24th Quetta
* 25th Quetta
* 16th Karachi (Stock Exchange)

2021|

* 2021 Machh attack
* 3rd Chaman
* 26th Quetta (Serena Hotel)
* 21st Lahore
* 17th Karachi
* 27th Quetta
* 28th Quetta

2022|

* 22nd Lahore
* 1st Kech
* Panjgur and Naushki
* 29th Quetta
* Sibi
* 29th Peshawar
* Sangan
* 18th Karachi
* 19th Karachi
* 1st Miranshah
* 4th Swat
* 2nd Lakki Marwat
* 30th Quetta
* 2nd Miranshah
* 3rd Bannu
* 7th Islamabad

2023|

* 31st Peshawar
* 20th Karachi
* Barkhan
* Bolan
* Havelian
* 3rd Lakki Marwat
* 8th Khyber
* 31st Quetta
* Muslim Bagh
* 32nd Peshawar
* Zhob
* 1st N Waziristan
* Bara
* Khar
* 2nd N Waziristan
* 6th Mastung
* Hangu
* 16th Dera Ismail Khan
* 2nd Gwadar
* Mianwali
* Chilas
* Daraban]

2024|

* 2024 Balochistan
* BLA Gwadar attack
* Shangla
* Lakki Marwat

The July 2010 Lahore bombings occurred on 1 July 2010 in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Two suicide bombers blew themselves up at the Sufi shrine, Data Darbar Complex. At least 50 people were killed and 200 others were hurt in the blasts.[1][2][3] It was the biggest attack on a Sufi shrine in Pakistan since 2001.[2]

## Background

[edit]

Tasawwuf is a part of Islam and the Sufis are those who practice Tasawuf. During the last few centuries it has come under attack from the Wahhabism which consider it polytheistic.[4]

The Data Darbar shrine is the burial place of the Sufi saint Syed Ali Hajwairi.[5] His book 'Kashif-ul-Mahjub' (which literally means 'unveiling of the veiled') is the first treatise in Sufi literature known as 'Malfujat'.[citation needed] Thursdays are the busiest days at the shrine as a large number of devotees come to pay their respects and attain blessings.[6]

The shrine was mostly frequented by members of the Ahle-Sunnath Wal Jamath sect whom the Taliban consider heretics.[2] The shrine was known for its colourful festivals in which the devotees dance, a practice considered un-Islamic by the Taliban.[7] In March 2009 Taliban militants had bombed the shrine of Sufi poet Rahman Baba and in June 2009 Sarfraz Ahmed Naeemi a moderate cleric belonging to the Ahle-Sunnath Wal Jamath sect was killed in a suicide bombing blamed on Taliban.[8]

## Attack

[edit]

Police initially said that three suicide bombers attacked the shrine. One attack occurred at gate number 5 to the shrine, one in the courtyard, and one in the basement. The attackers struck in the evening, when the shrine was most busy due to the cooler weather.[6]

Doctors said they expected the death toll to rise; and at Mayo Hospital, where the injured were sent, officials declared a state of emergency. Twenty-five people were in critical condition according to hospital officials.[9] The Lahore Police Commissioner Khusro Pervez also appealed to people not to rush to hospitals.[5]

### Immediate reactions

[edit]

Media personnel were attacked by enraged people at the site. Police also resorted to aerial firing to disperse people gathered at the shrine so as to clear the area. Scuffles then took place between protesters and police as people demanded that investigations be made on loopholes in the security arrangements.[6]

The next day about 2,000 people, some armed, staged protests in the city shouting "Down with Shahbaz Sharif".

Police were put high alert in Pakistan as demands grew for a tougher crackdown on armed religious groups in central Punjab. Security was also tightened at Sufi shrines across the country, while many Pakistanis, called for the resignation of Punjab government officials.[10]

## Investigation

[edit]

The administrators of the shrine said that strict security arrangement had been made, and that all devotees entering the shrine were thoroughly checked.[6]

The police commissioner said that the body parts of two suicide bombers had been found, including two heads. He said the suicide bombers were very young and that each suicide jacket could have carried up to 10–15 kg. of explosives.[6]

On 5 July, Pakistani authorities arrested 12 suspects, though the identity of the actual perpetrators remains a mystery. Ammunition and weapons were also recovered in the raids in two areas of Lahore. Five police officers were also suspended for security lapses that led to the attack.[11]

## Responsibility

[edit]

Though there has not been a claim of responsibility, previous bombings in Lahore have been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban because of their disagreement with minority interpretations of Islam, such as Sufism.[5] However, Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, denied responsibility for the attacks and called them the handiwork of secret foreign agencies.[4] A spokesperson for the Punjabi Taliban, Muhammad Umar, said that "We don't follow a policy of attacking shrines. During five years of government in Afghanistan, the Taliban never demolished a single shrine. Strategically it would also be ridiculous if we send anybody for any suicide attack. Why should we do that? If we really want to kill people over there all we need is to simply park an explosive laden car and that's all."[11] He further termed the incident as an act of spy agencies and Blackwater, aimed to "defame the Mujahideen."[12]

However protests were held in Lahore blaming Taliban militants for the attack.[13]

## Reactions

[edit]

Domestic reactions

* Pakistan Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani strongly condemned the blasts and asked the police to investigate the crime and submit a report.[9] Farahnaz Ispahani, spokeswoman for President Asif Ali Zardari issued a statement saying "This sickening poison of extremism will be driven out of our nation and we will not be cowed."[1]
* Peter Jacob, the national secretary of Justice and Peace, a Pakistani Christian body, said "We condemn this attack. It is painful to see that people who witness a moderate Islam, such as the Sufi community, are prey to violence. It is also painful to see how even the population of large cities have become vulnerable and a target of terrorism, without any protection...We think the government should take appropriate measures to stop the violence happening now to all moderate people, be they Muslims, Ahmadis, Sufis. The programme of the Taliban is clear, we want that the government act immediately to combat it."[14] However, many people interviewed after the attacks blamed the Pakistan government's support for America and drone attacks to be the root cause of these bombings.[15]
* The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan issued a statement saying "The assault demonstrates the potency of militant groups that the government incessantly repeats operate from sanctuaries in the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, equally frustrating have been clerics' stock statement that no Muslim can commit such atrocities. Instead of living in denial, the clerics need to reflect on the reasons for religious extremism in Pakistan and the possible consequences and their own contribution to the promotion of intolerance and the cult of violence."[1]

International organisations

* Catherine Ashton, the foreign affairs chief of the European Union, said "The deadly attack is yet another vivid example of the scale of the terrorist threat and extremism in Pakistan."[16]
* Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ban Ki-moon strongly condemned the attack saying "the deliberate targeting of a crowded place of worship makes this particularly vicious."[15]

National reactions

* India issued a statement saying "The government strongly condemns the terrorist attacks on Data Darbar in Lahore and expresses sympathies to the families of the bereaved."[17]
* William Hague, the British Foreign Secretary, said "Britain stands alongside the people and government of Pakistan against those who commit such appalling atrocities."[16]
* Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemned the attacks and promised to support Pakistan in its fight against militancy. Leonard Leo, chairman of United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, called on the Pakistani government to protect the freedom of all religious groups and repeal the country's blasphemy laws.[18]

## Aftermath

[edit]

Prime Minister Gilani announced that the government and opposition would hold a national conference in order to discuss ways to combat terrorism.[19] The conference was attended by the Chief Ministers of all four Pakistani provinces as well as other officials. Gilani stated that "after being hit hard in northwest Pakistan, terrorists are on the run and seeking refuge in the urban areas of the country, where they are attacking soft targets and spreading sectarian hatred."[20]

After the attacks religious leaders of the Barelvi sect accused the Punjab government of having connections with the Taliban. They met with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif and demanded the resignation of the Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan who had previously campaigned with a leader of the banned militant group Sipah-e-Sahaba Pakistan.[21] After the meeting, Haji Fazl-e-Karim, one of the Barelvi leaders, told the media "Rana Sanaullah's contacts with terrorists are most obvious, and he must resign."[21]

## See also

[edit]

* Pakistan portal

* Forced conversion of minority girls in Pakistan
* Sectarian violence in Pakistan
* List of terrorist incidents, 2010
* List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
* Terrorism in Pakistan

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e "Explosions at famous shrine in Pakistan kill dozens". CNN. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
2. ^ a b c "Deadly blasts hit Sufi shrine in Lahore". BBC. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
3. ^ Tavernise, Sabrina (1 July 2010). "Blasts at Sufi Shrine in Pakistan Kill at Least 35". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 July 2010.
4. ^ a b Jacinto, Leela (2 July 2010). "Lahore attack strikes Sufism, a tolerant blend of Islam". France 24. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
5. ^ a b c Deadly blasts hit Lahore shrine, Al Jazeera, 1 July 2010 2010
6. ^ a b c d e Thirty five killed at Data Darbar blast, The Express Tribune, 1 July 2010
7. ^ Wright, Tom; Hussain, Zahid (1 July 2010). "Triple Suicide Bombing in Pakistan Kills 40". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
8. ^ "Bombing the Light of God". The Economist. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
9. ^ a b "35 killed, 175 hurt in triple suicide blasts at Data Darbar: DCO". The News International. 1 July 2010. Retrieved 1 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
10. ^ "Pakistan on alert after shrine raid". Al Jazeera. 2 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
11. ^ a b Hindustan Times
12. ^ Punjabi Taliban disown attacks on Data Darbar
13. ^ Hussain, Waqar. "Pakistan PM visits scene of shrine bombing". Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on 6 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.
14. ^ Lahore Church in support of Sufis targeted by terrorism
15. ^ a b Toosi, Nahal (2 July 2010). "Pakistanis blame US after shrine attack kills 42". Bloomberg Businessweek. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
16. ^ a b "World deplores Lahore terror blasts". 3 July 2010. Retrieved 3 July 2010.[permanent dead link]
17. ^ "India condemns Lahore terror attack". Hindustan Times. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
18. ^ "US condemns Pakistan attack, backs democracy". Agence France-Presse. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 2 July 2010.
19. ^ Perlez, Jane (4 July 2010). "Government in Pakistan Calls Meeting on Terrorism". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
20. ^ "Gilani chairs high-level anti-terror meeting". Dawn. 5 July 2010. Archived from the original on 7 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.
21. ^ a b "Pakistan clerics accuse Punjab leaders of Taliban link". BBC. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 5 July 2010.

## External links

[edit]

* In pictures: Blasts at Lahore shrine (BBC)
* Video: Bombers target Sufi Muslim shrine (Al Jazeera English)

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