Massive suicide bombs ripped through a seven-story police headquarters and a house in Lahore on Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and wounding more than 150, deepening Pakistan's security crisis as a wave of Islamic militancy sweeps the country. The blasts come amid a spate of violence that authorities are blaming on Taliban and al-Qaeda-linked militants, spreading beyond their strongholds along the Afghan border, and as the victors of last month's elections prepare to form a new government. The party of Nawaz Sharif, which is set to be the junior partner in the incoming coalition, blamed military operations ordered by U.S.-backed President Pervez Musharraf for destabilizing the country and called for him to resign.
- JJ Commentary: Osama and al-Qaeda have hidden and re-energized on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, and are now re-asserting themselves in both countries.
