Nine Pakistan prison staff shot dead in Lahore

, Jul 12: Nine Pakistani police and prison staff were shot dead by a gang of gunmen as they slept. The incident occurred in Lahore early on Thursday. This is a second of such incident in the country after the government decided to reopen the

supply routes to Afghanistan which was closed after 24 pakistani soldiers were killed in NATO airstrike in Salala last November. The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Police sources said 10 gunmen entered a hostel at Ichra region housing officers who were being trained from the northwestern parts of Pakistan, a troubled region.

On Monday, a similar attack was carried out on an army camp in Gujrat where eight people were killed. Police said it was an act of the terrorists. The two incidents have raised apprehension about probable violence breaking out in the Punjab province. Punjab had seen a mitigation in violence over the past one year. A fresh cycle of violence could also impact the next elections for Punjab.

Punjab police chief Habibur Rehman said the assassin, armed with Kalshnikov rifles and hand-grenades, came in three motorcycles and a car. One of the survivors said the attackers suddenly opened the fire, giving very little chance for most of the victims to react. Some, however, jumped out of the building onto the adjacent buildings to save their lives. Nine people were also left injured in the attack. Local people said the gunmen fled after the operation around 5.30 am.

Later, a Pakistan Taliban spokesperson said the attack was being carried out against officers who were 'being used against them'. Police said both the recent incidents were carried out by the same gang. Right-wing and extremist quarters have gone the offensive ever since Islamabad decided to reopen the NATO supply routes after the US tendered its apology for the Salala incident.

OneIndia News