It was not an act of terror but an "accident"- claimed Law minister

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that the blast in Lahore's DHA area a day earlier was not an act of terror but an "accident", as forensic samples collected from the site had shown that the blast was a cylinder explosion.Six samples collected from the building where the blast that killed 10 people took place did not contain traces of explosives, he told a news conference.There were conflicting reports about the nature of the blast from the beginning. It was by turns termed a cylinder blast and a time bomb. Later in the day, some police officers returned to the original claim that it was a cylinder explosion. One officer said the material that exploded might have been stored in the building, as opposed to some individual terrorist or a network planting it there.According to witnesses, the explosion was followed by a storm of dust and panic in the vicinity.

However Law minister said the collected samples had hinted at a gas leakage and shown presence of cylinders in the building.

"We will take strict action against authorities involved in making substandard cylinders that led to this explosion," he said.

The damage from the blast can be seen 

He regretted that some TV channels had given the DHA blast spin of a terrorism incident and later ran news of another blast that caused "fear and panic" among the citizens.

Answering a question, Sanaullah said the decision about whether the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final will be held in Lahore or not will be shared with the public today.

He said Chief Minister Punjab Shahbaz Sharif was meant to chair a meeting on the PSL final on Thursday but it could not be held due to the DHA incident.

Thursday’s blast at an under-construction cafe in the Defence Housing Authority area’s Z Block killed its owner Moazam Paracha, who was also chief executive officer of telecom company Airlink. Sanaullah said the blast had killed seven people and injured 35 others.

The explosion, which was given a mysterious touch by an unending variety of explanations from police officers, partially damaged some nearby buildings. Some vehicles and motorbikes parked in the immediate surroundings were also damaged.

Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah says the important buildings on The Mall were provided security in the wake of recent threat alert but he blames the protest demonstration for the tragedy.

“Had there been no protest demonstration, this incident would not have occurred,” Sanaullah told a private TV channel on Monday.

On receiving threat alert, he said the security of important buildings on The Mall like Governor House, Punjab Assembly and Lahore High Court was beefed up. However, he said, the protest provided the opportunity to terrorist(s) to target it.

The National Counter Terrorism Authority had issued a threat alert on Feb 7, saying a terrorist group had planned an attack in Lahore. It had sought vigilance for all important buildings, hospitals and schools.