A deadly terrorist attack specifically targeting Christians enjoying the Easter festivities in Pakistan has killed almost seventy people, including women and children, and left over four hundred injured in Lahore.
A splinter group of the Pakistani Taliban, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The attacker targeted the Gulshan Iqbal Park in the heart of Lahore, at a time when mainly Christian families had gathered there for the celebration of the Easter festivities. Officials have confirmed that women and children were a significant portion of those killed and injured.
Most of the injured are in critical condition, and the death toll is highly likely to rise.
Lahore is in Punjab province, which is Pakistan’s largest and wealthiest province, and the stronghold of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif has announced three days of mourning.

Malala’s statement on the tragic #LahoreBlast today. pic.twitter.com/2xrSoGK6Yq

— Malala Fund (@MalalaFund) March 27, 2016