At least 14 people were killed and nearly 70 more injured when two powerful explosions, both believed to have been triggered by Taliban suicide bombers, ripped through a Christian neighbourhood in the Pakistani city of Lahore on Sunday.
 
The Jamaat-al-Ahrar, a faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack that targeted the Roman Catholic Church and Christ Church in Youhanabad area at about 11.30am.
 
The blasts caused widespread panic and anger in the area, which is home to tens of thousands of Christians. A mob caught two men who were acting in a suspicious manner and beat them to death before setting their bodies on fire, Pakistani TV news channels reported.
 
In a message sent to the media, Jamaat-al-Ahrar spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan said suicide bombers from the “Aafia Siddiqui Brigade” carried out the blasts. Siddiqui is a Pakistani scientist serving an 86-year prison term in the US after being convicted of terror charges.
 
“We have carried out the attack…We have reached Lahore, the center of Punjab province, which is a challenge and a warning to the rulers,” Ehsan was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.
 
At the time of the blasts, the two churches were packed with worshippers who had gathered for the Sunday service. The second blast went off about five minutes after the first one. People ran out of the churches in fear.
 
Local residents told the media a suicide attacker blew himself up outside the church after he was stopped by a security guard. The residents claimed both blasts were carried out by suicide attackers though there was no official word on this.
 
Officials at the General Hospital told the media that 14 people were killed and 68 others injured. Two policemen were among the dead.
 
Youhanabad is Pakistan’s largest Christian neighbourhood and is home to about 200,000 people. The blasts triggered anger among local residents, who protested against the government’s failure to provide adequate security to the area and the churches.
 
Christians protested at several places in Lahore and in other cities, including Nankana Sahib and the southern port city of Karachi.
 
Pakistan’s Christian minority has for long been the target of terrorist attacks and hate crimes.
 
In September 2013, two suicide blasts at the All Saint’s Church in Peshawar killed 127 people and injured more than 250. This was the deadliest attack on the Christian minority.