At least 31 people were killed and more than 169 injured in a powerful suicide bomb blast at a Shia mosque in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Friday, as reported by news outlet Dawn.The explosion occurred at the Khadijatul Kubra mosque-cum-imambargah in the Tarlai area of the federal capital when a suicide bomber detonated himself during Friday prayers, police sources told news agency PTI.
Key developments so far
- The blast was caused by a suicide bomber who was stopped at the gate of the Imambargah but detonated himself, killing several people on the spot.
- Rescue teams and police rushed to the site, while an emergency was declared in Islamabad hospitals as the injured were shifted for treatment.
- Television footage and images on social media showed police officers and local residents carrying the injured to nearby hospitals.
- The attack occurred during the visit of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who arrived in Pakistan on a two-day state visit on Thursday.
- President Asif Ali Zardari strongly condemned the blast, saying, “Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity.”
- Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep grief” and said he “strongly condemned” the attack.
- Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas said targeting places of worship was a direct attack on humanity, religion and social values and could not be tolerated.
- Pakistani parliamentary affairs minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry described the attack as a “cowardly act” in a post on X.
- Interior minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the blast and directed authorities to ensure the best possible medical care for the injured.
- Police said the nature of the explosion was being investigated, though it appeared to be a suicide attack.
- No group has claimed responsibility so far, but police sources said the attacker was a foreign national with alleged links to Fitna al Khwaraji, a term used for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
The attack comes less than three months after a suicide bomber killed 12 people outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad, and nearly a week after the outlawed Baloch Liberation Army carried out multiple attacks in insurgency-hit Balochistan, killing around 50 people.