Pakistani authorities say they have foiled a terrorist attack in the eastern city of Lahore, hours after a bombing wounded more than 30 people.
The Counterterrorism Department (CTD) said on August 8 that it was following up information that militants from the Pakistani Taliban were planning an attack on Lahore police.
A statement said that CTD forces formed a blockade near the bomb site late on August 7, where they exchanged fire with militants.
"The terrorists started firing at CTD officials, who took precautions. When firing stopped, four terrorists were found dead,” while the other attackers fled the scene, it added.
Earlier on August 7, officials said a bomb planted inside a truck loaded with fruit exploded in Pakistan's second-largest city, wounding at least 32 people.
Some reports said one person was also killed.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks, and it was not clear whether the militants killed were responsible for the bomb blast.
Despite the bombing, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif plans to travel with a convoy of supporters by road on August 9 from Islamabad to Lahore, where he is to hold a rally, a spokesman said.
Sharif resigned as prime minister on July 28 after the Supreme Court ordered his disqualification in a case linking him and his family to offshore wealth revealed in the leaked Panama Papers last year.
He has denied any wrongdoing.
Lahore, Punjab Province’s capital, is Sharif's power base.
The city has been hit by significant militant attacks this year. Last month, a bombing claimed by the Pakistani Taliban killed at least 26 people, including police officers.
With reporting by Reuters, AP, and Dawn
