July 2017 Lahore Suicide Bombing

On 24 July 2017, at around 15:55 local time, a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a motorbike in an old vegetable market in the Kot Lakhpat neighbourhood of Lahore, Pakistan. The attack killed 26 people and wounded 58 others. Security officials stated that the primary target of the bombing was police, noting that 9 of those killed and 6 of those wounded were police officers. At the time of the blast, the market was crowded with police personnel who had been deployed to clear stalls that had illegally encroached onto the road.

DIG Operations Haider Ashraf confirmed the incident was a suicide attack and stated that "police were the target." Two vehicles, including a motorcycle, were reportedly damaged in the explosion. Hussain, one of the injured police officers, described the moments before the blast to The Express Tribune, recounting that he had approached an auto rickshaw travelling the wrong way to warn the driver, moments before the explosion knocked him to the ground amid scenes of bodies and blood in the area.

In the aftermath, police and other law enforcement personnel cordoned off the site, and forensic teams began collecting evidence. Rescue 1122 emergency teams transported the injured to nearby hospitals, where a state of emergency was declared. Lahore Police released images of the deceased officers via its official Twitter account.

The attack drew condemnation from senior Pakistani political figures. Then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of life. Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif stated that the blast had "destroyed many families" but that "terrorists can never destroy our resolve." Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Asif Ghafoor, said the Chief of Army Staff shared grief with victims' families and had directed immediate rescue and relief efforts. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman Imran Khan called the bombing the "worst example of terrorism," and party secretary Shafqat Mahmood also condemned the attack. Religious and political figure Tahir-ul-Qadri similarly denounced the bombing. Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar postponed a scheduled press conference in light of the casualties, and Maryam Nawaz posted condolences on social media.

Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan claimed responsibility for the attack.