ISLAMABAD, April 5 (Xinhua) -- The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Wednesday claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a census team in the country's eastern Punjab province, which left six people killed and 15 others injured, local Urdu media reported.
Express News said that TTP spokesperson Muhammad Khurasani took credit of the attack in a statement.
Spokesperson of Punjab government Malik Muhammad Khan said that the suicide bomber attacked a van carrying the census team in Bedian road of Lahore, the capital city of the province.
He said that the killed people included four soldiers and two civilians.
The country's army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa said that all the soldiers and civilians who got killed in the attack were on census duty.
Census is a national obligation and will be completed on every cost despite the attack, he added.
The crime investigation department (CTD) shared initial reports of the blast with the province's Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, saying the attacker was aged between 18 and 24 and was carrying an estimated 10 kg of explosive materials in his vest.
The CTD said that the bomber was on foot and attacked the van from the backside when the van was passing by the crowded Bedian road.
A nearby rickshaw and three motorbikes were destroyed in the explosion.
The injured people have been shifted to a military hospital where three of them are said to be in critical conditions.
Both the country's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Mamnoon Hussain condemned the blast and directed hospital administration to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured people.
Pakistan's sixth population and housing census started on March 15 after a hiatus of 19 years.
The census teams are being provided security by the army, police and paramilitary troops in the country.
The first phase of the process will end on April 15 while the second phase will conclude on May 25.
