The latest count placed the number of dead at 55, but Lahore Police Chief Mushtaq Sukhera said fatalities could go up since 100 Pakistanis who watched a military parade were victims of a Pakistani checkpoint suicide bomber.

The bomb detonated near the Wagah border checkpoint. According to Mushtaq Sukhera, inspector general of the Punjab Police, the suicide bomber walked nearer the gate where the crowd were exiting after the lowering of flag rite.

Like Us on Facebook

He said the suicide bomber, who is in his early 20s, was stopped at the checkpoint, and he immediately detonated the bomb hidden in his vest.

"Up to 5 kg of explosive material was used," Sukhera told Indian Express. "The Rangers had made stringent security measures but it is difficult to check a suicide bomber."

The Indian daily reported a higher injury figure of more than 200 victims. The deputy medical superintendent of the Ghurki Hospital in Lahore said 35 dead bodies were sent to the medical center and another 60 to 70 wounded are being treated. The corpses include women and children as well as paramilitary troop members.

One of the injured parade watchers, Imdad Husain, recalled that he lost consciousness after he heard an explosion. When he woke up, Husain discovered he was wounded and lying on the road. After 15 minutes, rescue workers rushed him to Ghurki Hospital.

Sukhera said the police, which is investigating the explosion, got intelligence reports that the parade would be bombed. Since it was a holiday, attendance at the parade that featured Pakistani Ranger and Indian Border Security Forces was high.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif sought a report on the incident, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "Terror attack in Pakistan near Wagah Border is shocking. I strongly condemn such dastardly act of terrorism."

Express News said that Jandullah, a group affiliated with al Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the bomb blast, the bloodiest attack in Pakistan since the launch of a military offensive in the middle of June.

"This is a continuation of our jihad for the implementation of an Islamic system in Pakistan," The New York Times quoted Ehsanullah Ehsan, spokesman of Jandullah. He warned that the group would initiate more attacks on "the pillars of the infidel system" in Pakistan.

TagsWar Conflict, Ghurki, Ghurki, Pakistan, Sukhera