Lahore, March 11
At least 24 people were killed and over 170 injured in two massive suicide car bombings that destroyed the federal headquarters of Pakistan’s premier probe agency and a house near PPP chairman Asif Ali Zardari’s residence here today, a week after the attack on a naval college in the city.

A suicide attacker drove an explosive-packed pick-up truck into the compound of the Federal Investigation Agency office located on Temple Road and blew himself up at 9.30 am, killing at least 19 people and leaving the seven-storied building in a shambles, officials said.

In the second, near-simultaneous, blast in the Punjab capital, two suicide bombers drove a pick-up truck into the compound of a house in Model Town residential area that had been rented by an advertising agency and blew themselves up.

Bilawal House, which is owned by Zardari, and the residence of Lahore city nazim Amir Mehmood are located in the vicinity of the house that was attacked.

Besides the two bombers, the blast killed two children of the gardener who worked at the house. It created a seven-foot crater and smashed windows of buildings within a radius of 100 metres, witnesses said.

Two persons, including the gardener, were seriously injured in the blast, said police officer Azmat Gondal.

“The suicide attackers drove into the house and blew themselves up before the guard at the gate could stop them. We do not know as yet why this house was targeted,” Gondal added.

Reports said the suicide bombers might have been trying to target the nearby residence of an Army officer. Last week, two suicide bombers targeted the Navy’s War College on Mall Road, killing seven persons while the country has been rocked by six major blasts since the February 18 polls. — PTI