According to the health ministry officials, in a horrifying suicide blast outside a public park, Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, at least 65 people have been killed and over 300 others injured.

Reportedly, people from the Christian community were out to celebrate Easter in the park and then the bomber detonated himself. The park is reportedly popular with several families and children.

Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, the Pakistani Taliban faction, has claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Officials said that, the blast took place at 6.40 pm local time in the parking area of Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park, a few metres away from children's swings.

Speaking on the issue, a health adviser for the Punjab provincial government, Salman Rafique said, “most of the dead and injured are women and children”.

“The blast was massive and has caused a lot of damage and fatalities," Jam Sajjad Hussain, spokesman for the emergency service "Rescue 112" said.

"I was a few blocks away from the blast, many people were running and screaming like the world has collapsed," Mian Ashraf said.  

"Until when will we see our loved ones getting killed in such attacks?"

Even police confirmed that it was a suicide attack, and added that the death toll may rise further.

In North Waziristan, Pakistan launched an offensive against Taliban and affiliated fighters in 2014, seeking to deprive them of safe havens, from which to launch attacks in both Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Compared to other parts of Pakistan, Lahore, which is the capital of Punjab, has been more peaceful.

In 2015, when a popular Pakistani provincial minister’s home was bombed, along with the minister, eight others were killed.

Earlier in March, a bomb planted on a bus carrying government officials exploded in northern Pakistan, killing at least 15 people. 

A suicide bomber killed 13 people on March 8th, after detonating it outside a court in Charsadda, in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, about 30km from Peshawar.

By Phani Ch