Bomb Blast in Lahore | Blast Effects on PSL

Just about 24 hours ago, there was a major explosion that occurred on Mall road, Lahore. This bomb blast almost literally plunged the city into an abyss of emotional turmoil with the population stricken with anger while the families of the deceased dwelled in grief.

The bomb blast itself occurred outside the Punjab Assembly,outside the premises of which, a huge cadre of chemists and pharmacists stood to fervently protest against the selling of illegal drugs. At about 6pm, the suicide bomber, reported to be on foot detonated the bomb resulting in a huge blast in Lahore, laying to waste his own life along with many other countless ones.

This bomb blast in Lahore took out 13 people, 6 of which were policeman and security personnel present at the spot to negotiate with the protestors. 85 people were also injured. The suicide bomber was identified as a member of the Jamat-ul-Ahrar faction of the Taliban. Immediate relief measures were discharged with medical facilities, transport services and blood donations were arranged for the injured while at the same time, the gruesome task of collecting the bodies of the deceased too began.

This deadly bomb blast  lead to the inception of several conspiracy theories as to why and how it was orchestrated. The one to gain the most currency, was the allegation that the bomber was an Afghan extremist trained by India and sent to Lahore for the specific purpose of disrupting the PSL final that is to take place in March. Although no conclusive evidence can link such a deadly explosion to the final match of the Pakistan Super League, which is currently taking place in UAE though it has destroyed the morale of international players who are participating therein with all of them refusing to set foot on Pakistani soil.

Najam Sethi, has himself offered a solution to hold the final in Lahore with the local players replacing international ones though such a situation doesn’t sir well with fans who have been thriving to get a glimpse of international talent in Pakistan since May 2015 when the tour of Zimbabwe took place. Other solutions offered by the consensus of the general public, is to relocate the final to Karachi however, owing to the deadly blast as well as the notorious nature of the city itself, the PSL final will most likely be relocated to the UAE.

This coupled with the tragic demise of so many innocent people, has sparked wild reactions from the Pakistani people ranging from condescending the ones responsible for the bomb blast to being upset at the prospect of the PSL final being relocated. The Indian public has also come to the limelight on social media, blatantly stating their lack of involvement in the issue.

The blast in Lahore was followed by another deadly blast in Quetta a few hours later where a bomb disposal official, embraced martyrdom in an attempt to prevent the explosion but failed to do so. This blast has to a certain degree directed attention away from the city based divide created by the PSL and has united the country as a whole. It has also lead to skepticism regarding India's part in this as the final was meant to be held in Lahore however, another blast was orchestrated in Quetta. This has lead to speculation regarding the motives behind the explosions but due to the lack of conclusive evidence, only time will reveal the answers that so many seek.