A day after, the suicide bomb attack on Lahore park rose to 72, including 29 children, aggrieved families in Lahore spent Easter Monday burying their dead.
More than 350 were injured in the deadly suicide bomb attack at a Lahore park on Sunday, when explosives packed with ball-bearings ripped through the crowds where many had gathered to celebrate Easter.
Out of the 63 bodies that were brought to the mortuary at Mayo Hospital, 58 were identified and handed over to their families for burial after post-mortem examinations yesterday. While it was said that Christians were targeted, officials said that only 14 of the dead had been identified as Christians and the rest were Muslim, reports the Express Tribune. Five bodies are yet to be identified.
Those who suffered injuries were admitted to various hospitals in the city, while 198 were discharged after being treated for their wounds. 172 people who suffered serious injuries were still at treated.
Authorities have registered the FIR for Sunday's attack. The report was lodged against four unidentified suspects on the complaint of Allama Iqbal Town SHO Nasrullah Khan.
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The report added that the attacker and his three accomplices were stopped at the entrance by a security guard but managed to sneak into the park while the guard was distracted by his accomplices. The sketch of the suspected attacker has also been released by the investigation team.
A counter-terrorism department (CTD) team, separately has raided the house in Muzaffargarh which was listed on a CNIC card recovered from the blast site. Tow relatives of the card holder have been detained by the officials for questioning.
The card belongs to Muhammad Yusaf, who is believed to be the bomber.
In a separate location in Ichhra, the team raided a temporary residence mentioned on the card, and seized belongings of the suspected bomber including a laptop.
Meanwhile, mourning in the region continued yesterday as major markets and recreational places in Lahore remained closed.
The Traders' associations have vowed to extend full support to the armed forces in its ongoing crackdown against extremist outfits, while some even urged law enforcement and intelligence agencies to improve surveillance to prevent future attacks.
The Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA) had even cancelled all its events including the ongoing Spring Festival in solidarity.
The Sunday's attack has brought the people of the nation together in fighting terrorism. The response to calls for blood donation was overwhelming in the hospitals, as people lined up in long queues to donate blood.
Irrespective of any religion, donors said that both Muslims and Christians who said that both communities had suffered from the attack and religious differences should not hamper relief efforts.
The Punjab government had announced three days of mourning .
Shahbaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab and brother of the Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif also promised compensation payments of 1 million rupees (£6,700) to the families of the dead.
The Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif has called on the military and paramilitary Rangers to lauch joint overnight raids against militants in central and southern regions of Punjab leading to the arrest to dozens of terror suspects and their facilitators.
