On 13 February 2017, a suicide bombing took place on the Mall Road in Lahore, Pakistan, where a group of chemists and pharmacists were holding a protest at Charing Cross in front of the Punjab provincial assembly.

[2] Earlier on 7 February, the National Counter Terrorism Authority (NACTA) had shared intelligence with Punjab's home secretary, police and Rangers over the threat of a possible terrorist incident in Lahore.

"[2] Prior to this, another notification dated 29 January from the Punjab government's Home Department had warned of a possible terrorist attack in the city, stating that the Tehrik-i-Taliban was training young suicide bombers in Kunar, Afghanistan, for that purpose.

[2][16] Soon after the blast, contingents of the Pakistan Army and Rangers were deployed to the site and cordoned off the area near the crowded Mall Road, one of the city's main arteries, as witnesses fled amid fears of a second explosion, with images of the injured being carried away shown by local media.

[2] Jamaat-ul-Ahrar claimed responsibility for the attack via a text message, calling it revenge for the Pakistani military's counterinsurgency operation against militants holed up in the northwestern tribal areas across the Afghan border.

[2][16] The group had also issued threats three days prior to the attack, stating it would target government installations throughout the country as part of a campaign called "Operation Ghazi".

[19] In a separate incident later on the same day, an improvised explosive device planted under a bridge in Quetta detonated, killing at least three bomb disposal squad officers who were trying to defuse it.

[16] On 15 February, the Pakistani Foreign Office summoned Afghan Deputy Head of Mission, Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi, and presented a dossier outlining evidence of terrorist sanctuaries, financiers and handlers from Afghanistan who were involved in the attack.

[23] On 17 February, Chief Minister Punjab Shehbaz Sharif announced the arrest of Anwar-ul-Haq - the alleged facilitator of the attacker, who belonged to FATA's Bajaur Agency.

[28] Social media users noted the timing of the attack could derail the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) from being held in Lahore, which was scheduled subject to security clearances for foreign players.

[32][33] The Pakistan Stock Exchange's (PSX) benchmark KSE 100 Index finished with a fall 0.40% or 197.72 points to end at 49,767.91, as investors remained concerned over the terrorist attack.