Mall Road blast: Police get 30-day remand of facilitators

LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Saturday handed over four facilitators of the Lahore Mall Road suicide bomber to the Counter-Terrorism Department on physical remand for 30 days.

Anwarul Haq, Fazlur Rehman, Waheedullah and Abu Hurraira were produced before ATC judge by CTD officials amid tight security.

Contingents of law enforcement personnel cordoned off the premises, as the officers inside sought the physical remand of the accused which was granted by the judge.

Under the anti-terrorism law, suspects can be handed over to the law enforcement agencies concerned for up to 90 days.

Fifteen people, including senior police officers, were killed and more than 85 others were injured in the deadly explosion that ripped through a protest by chemists outside the Punjab Assembly on February 13.

The banned Jamaatur Ahrar had claimed the responsibility of the attack. The outfit had claimed the Easter bombing in Lahore last year that had killed more than 70 people in Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park.

Law enforcement agencies first arrested Anwar after the blast and aired his confessional statement.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 19^th, 2017.