LAHORE, Jan 10: People from all walks of life condemned the Lahore blast on Thursday and called it a failure of the Pervez Musharraf’s regime.

Those who see the series of bombings in the country stemming from “wrong” policies of President Musharraf include Pakistan Muslim League-N’s (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif. They expressed their grief on the casualties, saying over 1,000 army officers and jawans, hundreds of police and thousands of citizens had fallen prey to bombings and sniper firing incidents because Musharraf had failed to maintain law and order. They said his rule would be fatal for 160 million Pakistanis. They said Musharraf should relinquish the charge and hand over reigns of the country to some able person.

If he did not, they warned, his exit from the power corridors would not be in an honourable manner.

Shahbaz said masses were facing crises of flour, power and gas and the deteriorating law and order situation had added to their miseries. He said the former government gave them just lawlessness, hunger and bomb explosions.

Jamaat-i-Islami Amir Qazi Husain Ahmed condemned the blast as a coward act and a conspiracy to sabotage the lawyers’ movement.

He said the country was being pushed towards anarchy to make doubtful holding of general election on Feb 18.

He appealed to political parties taking part in the polls to realise the gravity of the situation and boycott the elections.

Mr Ahmed, also chief of the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal, alleged the elements behind the terror acts wanted to horrify the masses.

He said the explosion at a time when a lawyers’ rally was to pass by the spot showed that some forces wished to culminate the struggle of black coats for restoration of the constitution, judiciary and democracy.

He said the toll would have been higher had lawyers not been engaged in their bar election.

He said how long President Musharraf and agencies would test the patience of the nation and how many more innocents’ blood would have to be spilled in the country.

He regretted that after Bajaur, Swat, Waziristan and Balochistan streets and roads of Islamabad, Karachi and Lahore were not safe.

Pakistan People’s Party secretary-general Jehangir Badr called the incident a ploy to create a chaos in the country for failing the lawyers’ struggle and sabotaging the general election.

He demanded strict security measures during Muharram so that the faithful did not face any problem in imam bargahs.

Tehrik-i-Insaaf Chairman Imran Khan and other party leaders said the Musharraf regime had failed to provide security to the masses.

Condemning statements of UN representative ElBaradie and US presidential candidates about Pakistan’s nuclear programme, they said the eight-year Musharraf rule had weaken the country to the extent that foreign powers were now thinking of attacking its nuclear installation.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) denounced the explosion, saying no Muslim can think of a suicide attack.

Punjab office-bearers of the party visited those wounded in the incident on the direction of MQM patron Altaf Husain.

The Labour Party also condemned the blast and alleged that the government had failed in ensuring protection of life and property to the masses.

It asserted that peace was impossible as far as the Musharraf regime was in place.

FARZANA RAJA: In a statement, Punjab PPP Information Secretary Farzana Raja expressed her deep grief and sorrow over the tragic loss of life.