LAHORE: A suicide vest was found in the parking lot of Wagah border parade venue during a search operation on Monday, a day after more than 60 people had lost their lives in a devastating suicide attack at the place.

The suicide vest alarmed police and law-enforcement agencies and bomb disposal personnel were called in to defuse it.

An operation was launched in areas around the border crossing in view of intelligence reports about presence of some ‘facilitators’ there.

DIG Dr Haider Ashraf told Dawn that 25 suspects had been taken into custody from Wagah and some other areas in Punjab.

A TV channel claimed that one of the arrested men had informed the investigators that there were more suicide jackets in the area.

The suspect said the vests had been brought from Afghanistan.

But police did not confirm the report.

An initial report on the suicide blast was presented to Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at a high-level meeting. The Punjab government has constituted a joint team to investigate the attack.

Search operation launched in areas around the border crossing

Lahore police chief retired Capt Amin Wains said the suicide vest found near the Wagah border gate had been defused.

The Lahore Corps Commander, Rangers Director General and CCPO Capt Amin visited the border and adjoining areas and ordered a review of security arrangements and setting up of another two checkpoints on the road leading to the border crossing.

Capt Amin told Dawn that three banned organisations — Jundullah, TTP Jamaatul Ahrar and the Hakimullah Mehsud faction of Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan — had separately claimed responsibility for the suicide attack.

He said the TTP might have been involved in the attack because it had its network in Punjab while the other two organisations operated mainly in Balochistan and Karachi.

The CCPO said the apparent target of the suicide bomber was the flag-lowering ceremony. “We have sent all evidence to the Forensic Science Agency for identification of the terrorists involved,” he added.

Another police officer said the chief minister had been informed that the blast had taken place in the area which was under the jurisdiction of Punjab Rangers.

He said the search was focused on villages around the border because it would not have been possible to carry out the attack without the help of some local people.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Sunday’s suicide attack rose to 62 after two seriously injured people died on Monday. Over 100 people had been injured, 15 of them seriously.

Police handed over the bodies of 47 victims to their families. Nine bodies were sent to Samundri near Faisalabad, six to Karachi and five to Gujrat.

An FIR was registered at the Batapur police station under Sections 302, 324 and 109 of the PPC, Explosives Act 4/3 and 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Published in Dawn, November 4th , 2014