LAHORE - While condemning the blast at the office of Rescue 15, leaders of mainstream political and religious parties have expressed their deep sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives, and have urged the nation to stand united against menace of terrorism, while praying for an early recovery of the injured, and expressing their heart-felt sympathies with the bereaved families. PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif said there was a need for national unity at this critical hour for foiling the nefarious designs of terrorists. Addressing his partymen here on Wednesday, Nawaz Sharif said we should forge unity in our ranks for countering the existing threats and challenges. Current situation is the outcome of dictatorship, which not only damaged democracy and judiciary, it also bred extremism. It is the duty of the whole nation to root out the evils of dictatorship, he said, while hoping that people would fulfil their responsibilities. Nawaz Sharif further said though the situation of the country was not satisfactory, the conditions were temporary. We should not lose heart, as we have to move forward and join the ranks of developed nations. It is my promise to the people that those, who defaced the country, will have to pay for their wrongdoings, he added. Governor Punjab Salman Taseer strongly condemned the action of terrorism and expressed sympathy with the heirs of those who embraced martyrdom. He said terror would never succeed in their obnoxious designs. Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Ch Zaheer-ud-Din Ahmad said it had exposed tall claims of good governance by CM Shahbaz Sharif, who had earlier attributed terrorist attack at Manawan police centre to the imposition of the Governors rule in the province citing displacement of able police officers by the Governor. He questioned as to why the horrible incident happened on Wednesday when Shahbaz Sharif had posted able police officers after restoration of his govt. Speakers Punjab Assembly Rana Muhammad Iqbal Khan, Provincial Minister Finance Tanvir Ashraf Kaira, Minister Revenue Haji Muhammad Ishaq, Minister Population Welfare Neelam Jabbar Ch, Minister Special Education Muhammad Iqbal Chunnar and Minister for Excise & Taxation, Transport and Education Mian Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman have strongly condemned the Lahore blast. The ministers said miscreants involved in terrorist activities had no concern even with Islam, as the teachings of Islam and other religions do not allow any such acts. Our government will foil all the nefarious design of extremists and writ of the government will be established at all cost. Terrorists are using cowardly tactics and the blast may be the reaction of the Swat operation. Our government will eliminate terrorists, they added. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan termed it a conspiracy against Pakistan by some foreign powers. PTIs provincial leaders suspected that blast was a conspiracy to ban entry of Swat affectees in the Punjab after the decision to place restriction on their movement in Sindh. Involving RAW in the incident, PTI leaders said that India wanted to spread hatred among Punjabis and Pukhtoons. PPPs Punjab President Rana Aftab Ahmed Khan, Secretary General, Sami Ullah Khan and Secretary Finance Aurangzeb Burki said terrorists were doing such coward acts as the evil elements were on the run as a result of military operation against them. Head political affairs department Jamatud dawa Prof. Abdur Rehman Makki also believed that foreign powers were involved in acts of terrorism in Pakistan, as they wanted to destabilise the country. It is governments responsibility to expose the foreign hand involved in destructive activities and take corrective measures to pre-empt such incidents, he added. Head of his faction of Jamiat-e-Ulema Islam Pakistan Maulana Sami-ul-Haq was of the view that anti-Pakistan spy agencies in the world were planning to harm Pakistan through acts of terrorism.