It’s been a bloody Friday for both India and Pakistan. While two Pakistani mosques were attacked by militants, its neighbour India faced the deadliest Maoist attack ever.
In Lahore, the Ahmadiya, a minority Muslim sect, were offering their Friday namaz when several gunmen stormed into two mosques at Model Town and Garhi Shahu. They threw hand grenades and fired at randomly into the crowd and thousands of worshippers were held hostage during the ensuing three-hour gun battle between the Pakistani paramilitary forces and the militants. The siege ended leaving over 70 dead and more than 100 injured.
One terrorist was killed and another has been captured from the mosque in Model Town. According to Pakistan’s Geo TV the Punjabi wing of Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan has claimed responsibility for the attacks.
And in India a Naxalite blast derailed a Mumbai bound train in the Jhargram area of West Bengal. Several carriages tumbled onto an adjacent track and were slammed by an oncoming goods train. There are so far more than a hundred dead and more than 200 injured. Many more are feared to be trapped in the mangled wreckage.
Both India and Pakistan are battling with internal security issues.
