New Delhi: In one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan in the recent months, at least 31 people were killed and more than 160 injured in Islamabad after a powerful explosion tore through a Shiite prayer hall during Friday congregational prayers.
The blast at Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra, located in the Tarlai area, according to a spokesperson for the district administration. The explosion took place as worshippers had gathered for Friday prayers, Dawn reported.
According to police officials quoted in the report, it was early to determine the exact nature of the attack, but preliminary evidence suggested it may have involved a suicide bomber.
“Initial indicators point in that direction,” Taqi Jawad, a spokesperson for the Islamabad Capital Territory Police, was quoted as saying.
The attack occurred during the two-day official visit of Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, raising concerns about security in Islamabad.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and offered condolences to the families of the victims. “Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” he said in a statement issued by his party, the Pakistan Peoples Party on X.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the blast, AFP reported. He expressed “deep grief” and “strongly condemned” the blast but is yet to put out an official statement.
The latest violence follows a series of large-scale counterterrorism operations carried out by Pakistan’s military in the restive province of Balochistan. This followed a coordinated attack launched by the Baloch Liberation Army across 12 areas last Saturday.
In a statement earlier this week, the Pakistan Army said at least 216 militants were killed during operations in Panjgur and on the outskirts of Harnai district, launched after what it described as “credible and verified intelligence” about militant hideouts.
The military said 36 civilians, including women and children, and 22 members of the security forces were also killed during the operations. The statement accused “Indian-sponsored terrorist elements” of attempting to destabilize the region.
India, in a statement, rejected Pakistan’s allegations of involvement in violence in Balochistan, calling them baseless and an effort to deflect attention from Pakistan’s internal security challenges.
“We categorically reject the baseless allegations made by Pakistan, which are nothing but its usual tactics to deflect attention from its own internal failings,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a press briefing.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
I was concerned for a second that it happened in our country.
Seems like a Sunni extremist wanted to target a Shiite mosque. Those snakes which you tried to breed are going to continue to haunt you.