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Lahore blast: Loud bang, smoke near Walton Airport spark panic
A blast was reported near Walton Airport in Pakistan's Lahore. Videos shared on social media appear to show smoke rising near the airport.
A blast was reported near Walton Airport in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday morning, according to broadcaster Geo TV. The explosion was reportedly heard in the Gopal Nagar and Naseerabad neighborhoods. Videos shared on social media appear to show smoke rising near the airport. The cause of the explosion remains unclear.
HT.com has not independently verified the authenticity of these videos.
Operation Sindoor -
The explosion reported in Lahore comes just a day after the Indian Armed Forces launched coordinated precision strikes on nine terrorist bases across Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). The mission, dubbed Operation Sindoor, was carried out in the early hours of May 7 in a joint offensive involving the Indian Army, Navy, and Air Force.
The strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure affiliated with groups including Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) and Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). The operation was launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam massacre, in which at least 26 civilians were killed.
In a statement, the Indian Defence Ministry said, “Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”
“These steps come in the wake of the barbaric Pahalgam terrorist attack in which 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen were murdered. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held accountable."
The nine terror camps targeted on Wednesday were -
Sawai Nala Camp (Muzaffarabad)
Syedna Belal Camp
Gulpur Camp
Abbas Camp
Barnala Camp
Sarjal Camp
Mehmoona Joya Camp
Markaz Taiba (Bahawalpur)
Markaz Subhan (Bahawalpur)
Late Wednesday night, Pakistan suspended all commercial flights at major airports in Lahore and Islamabad. In a statement, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) said, "The country’s airspace is closed for all commercial flights at Lahore and Islamabad airports."
