Bombing at mosque in Pakistan’s capital kills at least 31 people | Pakistan
A bomb exploded during Friday prayers at a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of Pakistan’s capital, killing 31 people and injuring at least 169 people, according to officials. Police said they were investigating whether the attack was carried out by a suicide bomber.
While it is reported that the condition of some of the injured is critical, it is feared that the death toll in the explosion at the Hatice al-Kubra mosque in Islamabad may increase further. Television footage and social media footage showed police and residents transporting the injured to nearby hospitals.
Rescuers and injured people described a harrowing and chaotic scene with bodies lying on the carpeted floor of the mosque.
Hussain Shah said that while he was praying in the courtyard of the mosque, a sudden and violent explosion occurred. “I suddenly thought a major attack had occurred,” he said.
When he entered the mosque, many of the injured were screaming and asking for help. Shah said that he counted approximately 30 bodies inside, but the number of injured was much higher.
No one immediately claimed responsibility for the blast, but suspicion is likely to shift to militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or Islamic State, who have been blamed for previous attacks on Shiites, a minority in the country. Militants frequently target security forces and civilians across Pakistan.
Although attacks are not very frequent in Islamabad, Pakistan has seen an increase in militant violence in recent months, largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, which is separate from but allied with the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari and prime minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and expressed their condolences to the families of the dead. They instructed to provide all possible medical assistance to the injured.
“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said. “The nation stands with the affected families at this difficult time.”
The sheriff said he has ordered a thorough investigation. “Those responsible need to be identified and punished,” he said.
Pakistani interior minister Muhsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and asked authorities to ensure the best medical care is provided.
Friday’s attack occurred while Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who was on a two-day official visit, attended an event in Islamabad with Sharif. The incident was a few kilometers away from where the explosion occurred.
Raja Nasser Abbas Jafri, one of the senior Shiite leaders, expressed his deep sorrow for the attack on Khadija al-Kubra.
“Such an act of terrorism in the federal capital is not only a serious failure in the protection of human life but also raises important questions about the performance of authorities and law enforcement agencies,” he said and asked people to donate blood as hospitals in Islamabad were in urgent need of supplies.
One of the deadliest attacks in Islamabad occurred in 2008, when a suicide attack targeted the Marriott hotel in the capital, killing 63 people and injuring more than 250. In November last year, 12 people were killed in a suicide bomber outside a court in Islamabad.
The latest attack comes about a week after the outlawed Balochistan Liberation Army carried out attacks in southwestern Balochistan province that killed nearly 50 people.
According to the military, security forces responding to these attacks also killed more than 200 “terrorists”.
