M A I N   N E W S

Series of blasts in Pak, 45 hurt

lahore, Dec 25 (AP) — A series of bomb explosions rocked Pakistan today, injuring 45 persons, authorities said.

The first bomb ripped through a crowded market in Lahore, injuring 36 persons, while the second bomb exploded at a railway station in Faisalabad, wounding three persons, they said.

The third explosion occurred in a passenger bus in Hyderabad in Sind province, injuring six persons. The fourth explosion in Kharian, 165 km north of Lahore, did not cause any injuries.

No group claimed responsibility for the explosions, but the police blamed India of seeking retaliation for last weekend’s attack on India’s historic Red Fort in New Delhi.

“We were expecting Indian-sponsored terrorist activities after mujahideen (holy warriors) hit New Delhi’s Red Fort,” Malik Asif Hayyat, Inspector General of the Punjab Police, said.

Malik Hayyat said the police was put on alert because Pakistan feared retaliatory attacks following the attack on the Red Fort.