The reactions showed the challenge facing Washington and the Pakistani government when it comes to rallying public support against the extremism that has scarred the South Asian nation.
Thousands of people had gathered late Thursday at Data Darbar, where a famous Sufi preacher is buried, in Lahore when bombs went off minutes apart. The blasts ripped concrete from the walls and left the white marble floor awash with blood. There was no claim of responsibility, but extremists consider Sufis to be heretical.
But on Friday, few Pakistanis interviewed saw militants at the root of the problem. “America is killing Muslims in Afghanistan and in our tribal areas (with missile strikes), and militants are attacking Pakistan to express anger against the government for supporting America,” said Zahid Umar, 25.
Pakistanis are suffering because of American policies and aggression in the region, said Mohammed Asif, 34, who runs an auto workshop in Lahore. He and others said the attacks would end if the US would pull out of Afghanistan.
Several other Pakistanis interviewed blamed the Ahmadi sect. On May 28 in Lahore, gunmen and a suicide squad targeted two Ahmadi places, killing at least 93 people, and some Pakistanis claimed the sect must have been seeking revenge.
Others cast doubt for additional villains - though America’s hand was seen there, too.
Washington “is encouraging Indians and Jews to carry out attacks” in Pakistan, said Arifa Moen, 32, a teacher in Multan.
Pakistani officials condemned the bombings, using language they have frequently used to try to convince the population that the fight against militancy is not one they can ignore.
“Those who still pretend that we are not a nation at war are complicit in these deaths,” said Farahnaz Ispahani, a spokeswoman for Pakistani President Asif Zardari.
The US Embassy issued a statement on Friday condemning the attack and saying it “demonstrates the terrorists’ blatant disregard for the lives of the Pakistani people and the future of this country.” The Pakistani government has been accused of lacking the will to crack down on militants in Punjab.
