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Lahore: In an emotional televised address, Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif vowed on Monday to hunt down and defeat the militants who have been carrying out attacks like the Easter bombing that targeted Christians and killed at least 72 people.
"We will not allow them to play with the lives of the people of Pakistan," Mr Sharif said. "This is our resolve. This is the resolve of the 200 million people of Pakistan."
As the country began three days of mourning after Sunday's suicide bombing in a park crowded with families in the eastern city of Lahore, Mr Sharif said the army would forge ahead with a military operation on extremist hideouts and police will go after what he called the "cowards" who carried out the attack.
Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif talks to an injured victim of Sunday's suicide bombing in a hospital in Lahore on Monday. Photo: AP
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway Taliban faction that supports Islamic State, claimed responsibility and said it specifically targeted Christians.
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But most of those killed were Muslims who also had been in the popular park for the holiday. Many women and children were among the victims, and dozens of families held tearful funerals for their slain relatives. At least 300 people were wounded.
Mr Sharif, who cancelled a visit to the United States to attend a nuclear summit, also warned extremists against using Islam to justify their violence in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation.
Pakistani nuns hold candles during a vigil for victims of Sunday's deadly suicide bombing in a Lahore park, on Monday. Photo: AP
Pakistan has suffered a series of attacks in recent months, and Mr Sharif said militants are hitting "soft targets" like playgrounds and schools because military and police operations were putting pressure on their operations.
Mr Sharif met security officials earlier in the day, and raids and dozens of arrests were carried out in eastern Punjab province, where several militant organisations are headquartered.
The Prime Minister also visited hospitals in Lahore where many of the injured were being treated. Mr Sharif was born in the city, which is also the capital of Punjab province, his power base.
Fahd Ali, 10, right, who was injured in the bombing that killed his parents and sister and wounded two sisters, narrates his ordeal to visitors in Lahore on Monday. Photo: AP
"It strengthened my resolve when I met the wounded people," he said in his address. "God willing, I will not sit idle until I bring smiles back on their faces."
The attack underscored both the militants' ability to stage large-scale attacks despite a government offensive and the precarious position of Pakistan's minority Christians.
At the Vatican, Pope Francis decried what he called the vile and abominable bombing against Christians and urged Pakistani authorities to "make every effort to restore security and serenity" in the country, particularly for religious minorities.
Affafa lost her parents and a sister in the bombing. Photo: AP
In Pakistan's capital of Islamabad, Islamic extremists protested for a second day outside Parliament and other key buildings, demanding that authorities impose Islamic law. The army deployed paramilitary rangers and about 800 additional soldiers from neighbouring Rawalpindi to Islamabad, to protect the centre, which houses main government buildings and diplomatic missions.
The leader of the protesters, Sarwat Ejaz Qadri, told a local TV channel they would stay outside Parliament "until our demands are met". Hundreds were hunkered down for a long stay, chanting prayers, occasionally raising anti-government slogans and brandishing long sticks.
They were protesting the hanging last month of policeman Mumtaz Qadri. He was convicted for the 2011 murder of Governor Salman Taseer, who was defending a Christian woman jailed on blasphemy charges. Mr Taseer had also criticised Pakistan's harsh blasphemy laws and campaigned against them. The woman, Aasia Bibi, is still in jail facing blasphemy charges.
A Pakistani nun holds a candle during a vigil for victims of Sunday's deadly suicide bombing in Lahore. Photo: AP
In recent weeks, Pakistan's Islamist parties have been threatening widespread demonstrations to protest what they say is Mr Sharif's pro-Western stance. They have also denounced draft legislation in Punjab province that outlaws violence against women.
Mr Sharif this month officially recognised holidays celebrated by Pakistan's minority religions, including Easter and the Hindu festival of Holi.
Ahsanullah Ahsan, a spokesman for the breakaway Taliban faction, told The Associated Press that along with striking at Christians celebrating Easter, the bombing also was meant to protest military operations in the tribal regions. The same militant group also took responsibility for the twin bombings of a Christian church in Lahore last year.
Pakistan's Prime Minister has vowed to eliminate perpetrators of terror attacks, such as the massive suicide bombing that targeted Christians in Lahore on Sunday. Photo: AP
But of the 72 dead from Sunday's attack, 14 have been identified as Christians and 44 as Muslim, Lahore Police Superintendent Mohammed Iqbal said. The rest have not been identified.
AP