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. According to Punjab Police sources, 18 people were killed, including several police officials, and at least 87 were injured. Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a faction of the banned Tehrik-i-Taliban (TTP), claimed responsibility for the attack. Local authorities cordoned off the site to begin investigations. According to Pakistani authorities, the attack was orchestrated from Afghanistan, where the militant group operates sanctuaries. On 23 February, Pakistani security forces killed the mastermind of the attack, Wajihullah, near the Afghan border following the launch of Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad. Background The attack took place less than a year after the Gulshan-e-Iqbal Park suicide bombing, which occurred in Lahore in March 2016. At the time of the attack, the targeted location was populated by a group of pharmaceutical manufacturers and chemists, who were demonstrating against a Punjab government crackdown on illegal drugs. The Provincial Assembly of the Punjab had passed amendments to the Drug Act, 1976 on 8 February 2017. The amendments in the act hardened the rules and regulations for medical stores. The law also required medical stores across the Punjab to recruit at least one pharmacist. Various medical associations had called for a provincial-wide strike to protest against the bill. There were at least 400 protesters present at the Mall Road, and a significant number of police officers were deployed to the venue to maintain the situation. A suicide bomber reached the location and detonated himself while the protest was ongoing. 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. The notification had directed authorities to safeguard and keep vigilance over all "vital installations, including important buildings, hospitals and schools." 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. According to Punjab's law minister Rana Sanaullah, appropriate security measures had been taken following the alert, adding that: "The spot where the blast took place is always under threat. Even if there was no alert, strict security measures are always taken