He said that six samples collected from the building did not contain traces of explosives while there was no sign of any explosive-related injury. The collected samples had hinted at a gas leak and shown presence of particles of cylinders in the building, he added. Rana said that 7 persons were killed and 35 others injured in this "cylinder blast" incident. He warned of a stern action against those responsible for supplying faulty cylinders.
He said that initial information regarding the blast was of generator or cylinder blast. However, media presented Thursday's blast as a suspected terrorist attack, while a number of news channels also aired the news of another blast, which was later found to be baseless.
Rana further said that the war against terrorism is a national war in which every segment of society should play its due role. Explaining delay in determining the nature of the blast, Rana said due to the extensive damage caused by the blast, the forensics team could not collect samples until the site had been cleared of debris, which took some time. The assessment of samples at forensics laboratory requires around 6 to 8 hours, he added.
Answering a question about holding PSL final in Lahore, Rana Sanaullah said Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was meant to chair a meeting on the PSL final on Thursday but it could not be held due to the DHA incident. It may be added that Thursday's blast at an under-construction cafe in the Defence Housing Authority's Z Block left its owner Moazzam Paracha dead, who was also chief executive officer of telecom company Airlink. The explosion was given a mysterious touch by an unending variety of explanations from police officers, partially damaged some nearby buildings and some vehicles.
Sanaullah lamented the section of media which did not verify the facts and made misleading claims that yesterday's blast was a terror incident which, he said, created panic in the city. To a question, he said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) had taken notice of the fake reports of a second bomb blast in the Gulberg area of the provincial capital and issued notices to several TV channels for violating the media regulator's code of conduct.
Punjab Home Secretary Azam Suleman said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) rejected all fake audio messages which claimed the army men warned people of security threats. "Agencies are looking into the matter and the culprit behind such rumours will be dealt with according to the law," he said. Punjab IGP Mushtaq Sukhera also slammed rumours on social media claiming shoot-at-sight orders had been given to the police. "No such instructions have been issued," he said.
AFP adds: The organisers of the Lahore Literary Festival, the country's biggest, said it had been scaled back from three days this weekend to just one. "In light of the present circumstances, we feel it's optimal," Razi Ahmad, CEO of the festival, told AFP.
The incident also spread panic through social media, where users exchanged dire warnings purporting to be from intelligence agencies. The military later denied issuing the messages.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017
Copyright Agence France-Presse, 2017