Punjab inspector general of police Mushtaq Sukhera said the bomber triggered the explosion outside a restaurant near a paramilitary soldiers' checkpoint at Wagah.
"The parade venue is about 600 metres ahead of the blast site. The suicide bomber detonated the bomb away from the parade venue because of the strict checking," said top Rangers officer Tahir Khan. "If the blast had occurred close to the border gate, the devastation would have been far greater," Khan added.
Nonetheless, the attacker crossed four security checkpoints and was waiting for the public to gather as the flag hoisting ceremony was about to end, said Shuja Khanzada, Punjab's interior minister.
"His target was to get close to soldiers at the border but he was unable to cross the last checkpoint," he said.
Pakistani relatives gather around the bodies of blast victims after the suicide attack near the Wagah border. (AFP photo photo)
Sukhera said the bomber was stopped at the gate of the parade ground. "He detonated his explosives when people gathered near the gate. Up to five kilograms of explosives and ball bearings were used in the blast," Sukhera said. "There were security threats and the border force had prior information," he said.
Now would be a good time for the govt to face down all terrorists. #WagahBorder killings r a chilling index of scale of the challenge
— sherryrehman (@sherryrehman) November 2, 2014 Ahmed Marwat, spokesman of al-Qaida-affiliated Jundullah told Pakistan media including Dawn on telephone that the attack was in retaliation against Pakistan Army's Operation Zarb-i-Azb against militants in Waziristan.
"We received scores of bodies including of around 17 women and children. Close to 100 people were wounded," said an official at Ghurki Hospital near Wagah border. Those killed were mostly civilians, with officials saying three Pakistan Rangers personnel were killed and five wounded.
Two Pakistani men mourn the death of a relative who was killed in suicide bomb attack near the Wagah border. (Reuters photo)
Beating retreat cancelled for 3 days
Pakistan Rangers requested BSF to cancel beating retreat ceremony at Wagah border for the next three days, which was agreed to by BSF chief DK Pathak.
Journalists were told to clear out of the area which was cordoned off by security men. An official told news agencies that the Indian side of Wagah border was "safe" after blast on Pakistani side.
Television footage showed shops and buildings razed around the blast crater. Rescue personnel rushed to the site with emergency declared in all Lahore hospitals.
A wounded Pakistani girl lies in hospital in Lahore after the suicide attack near the Wagah border. (AFP photo)
President Mamnoon Hussain, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif expressed grief over the loss of lives, Radio Pakistan reported. Sharif sought a report on the incident and directed the concerned authorities to provide the best medical treatment to the injured people.
Jundullah and Pakistani Taliban are loosely aligned and are known to share personnel, tactics and agendas.
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