Lahore: The Pakistani Taliban faction behind the brutal Easter Sunday suicide bombing at a crowded park here has warned that the terror attack was a "message" to the government about their "arrival" in Punjab, as the death toll yesterday rose to 74 after two more persons succumbed to their injuries.

Jamaatul Ahrar, a splinter group of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, claimed the attack, saying they carried out "this attack to target Christians." "Also, this is a message to the Pakistani Prime Minister that we have arrived in Punjab," the group’s spokesman said.