The attacks in Lahore were timed about 30 seconds apart when the Moon Market was at its busiest. Authorities initially said both bombs were believed to be remote-controlled, but they later said a suicide bomber was suspected to have carried out at least one of them.
The blasts left dozens of cars and shops ablaze late into the night.
Many victims were women and children, including a dead 2-year-old, a police officer said. Moon Market sells women’s clothing, shoes, and cosmetics.
Most of the militant attacks in recent weeks have been directed at security forces. Several have targeted crowded public spaces like markets, apparently to create public anger and increase pressure on the government to call a halt to the offensive.
More than 400 people have been killed since the beginning of October, including 105 in a Peshawar market frequented by women. That attack occurred while Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton was visiting Pakistan.
The Taliban generally claim responsibility for those attacks killing security officers, but they do not acknowledge carrying out the attacks targeting civilians. Government officials and security analysts say there is little doubt the militants are behind all the attacks.
Lahore’s top government official, Khusro Pervaiz, said there were 36 dead and about 100 wounded.
Early today, a US missile strike killed at least three people in a troubled northwestern tribal region near the Afghan border, according to Pakistani intelligence officials.
The two officials said the two missiles destroyed a car carrying three people in a village near Mir Ali, which is a main town in North Waziristan.
Pakistan is a key ally of Washington in its war on terror but it has opposed such attacks, saying they are counterproductive.
