Ukraine in Arabic | Wagah border ceremony suspended in wake of deadly attack
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ In Lahore, mourners prepared to lay their loved ones to rest the day after a deadly suicide attack at a border crossing between India and Pakistan.
More than 50 people were killed and many more injured by the blast.
The Pakistani Taliban and two other militant groups claimed responsibility for the attack.
India's home ministry announced on Monday that it had agreed to a request from Pakistan to suspend the daily flag-lowering ceremony at the Wagah frontier post to allow a period of mourning for the victims of Sunday's attack.
"It is the first time we have suspended the ceremony after the (1971) war. The ceremony was not suspended even during Kargil," K.S. Dhatwalia said, referring to a 1999 conflict between the two countries in the town of Kargil.
Scenes of horror
The Wagah crossing is a high-profile target, with large crowds gathering every day to watch an elaborate and colourful flag-lowering ceremony as the border closes.
Witnesses described scenes of horror in the wake of the blast which struck just after Sunday's ceremony took place.
One intelligence official, who was in his office at the time, told he saw "scattered bodies, injured men, women and children and smashed cars".
Politicians on both sides of the border have condemned the attack. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it a "dastardly act of terrorism".
India has in the past accused Pakistan of sponsoring jihadist groups in the region.
The two countries, which have fought three wars against each other since independence from Britain in 1947, have been engaged in a long-running conflict over the region of Kashmir, which both sides claim.
Dozens of people use the Wagah crossing to enter India and Pakistan every day, as it is the only road crossing between the two countries.
It is also a crucial trade facility, where truck-loads of goods coming from and going to India are loaded and unloaded.
Pakistan's government has been engaged in a long-running conflict with the Pakistani Taliban, or TTP, and attempts at peace talks foundered just weeks after they began in March.
