Shops and offices were shut across the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore on Saturday in a protest strike over twin suicide attacks on an Islamic shrine which killed 43 people.
Police said they have “apprehended” several people in their investigation into Thursday’s bombings, which left a trail of carnage at a packed Sufi shrine, but have made no formal arrests.
Raghib Naeemi, a leader of a Sunni Muslim council that called the strike, said a major rally was being planned on Saturday evening.
“We will continue our protest till the government takes some concrete actions to curb terrorist activities,” he said.
Angry protesters had taken to the streets in Pakistan on Friday, burning tyres and blaming Taliban extremists for the latest bloodshed in the city, a major military, political and cultural hub.
An AFP reporter said markets were closed on Saturday and roads deserted in the otherwise bustling city. Schools are already closed for the summer holidays, while offices also observe a Saturday-Sunday weekend.
Investigators said they had yet to identify the two suicide bombers who blew themselves up among crowds of worshippers at the shrine to Sufi saint Data Ganj Bakhsh in Lahore, capital of Punjab province.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility and the Pakistan Taliban, which has been blamed for a wave of bloody attacks over the past three years, denied it was involved.
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