[citation needed] Thursdays are the busiest days at the shrine as a large number of devotees come to pay their respects and attain blessings.

[6] Doctors said they expected the death toll to rise; and at Mayo Hospital, where the injured were sent, officials declared a state of emergency.

Scuffles then took place between protesters and police as people demanded that investigations be made on loopholes in the security arrangements.

Police were put high alert in Pakistan as demands grew for a tougher crackdown on armed religious groups in central Punjab.

[11] Though there has not been a claim of responsibility, previous bombings in Lahore have been blamed on the Pakistani Taliban because of their disagreement with minority interpretations of Islam, such as Sufism.

[5] However, Azam Tariq, a spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, denied responsibility for the attacks and called them the handiwork of secret foreign agencies.

[13] Prime Minister Gilani announced that the government and opposition would hold a national conference in order to discuss ways to combat terrorism.

Gilani stated that "after being hit hard in northwest Pakistan, terrorists are on the run and seeking refuge in the urban areas of the country, where they are attacking soft targets and spreading sectarian hatred.

[21] After the meeting, Haji Fazl-e-Karim, one of the Barelvi leaders, told the media "Rana Sanaullah's contacts with terrorists are most obvious, and he must resign.