Islamabad: A suicide bomber blew himself up at a Shia mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan’s capital on February 6, killing at least 31 people and injuring 169 others, said officials, in one of the worst terror attacks targeting the community in recent years.
The powerful explosion, which was heard from a far distance, took place at Khadijatul Kubra mosque-cum-imambargah in the Tarlai area of Islamabad, the police said in a statement.
The suicide bomber was stopped at the gate of the imambargah, but he detonated himself, police and eyewitnesses said.
Police and Rescue 1122 personnel reached the site of the incident and initiated rescue operations.
The army troops and Rangers have cordoned off the area, and security operations are underway in and around the site of the blast.
The attack came when Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev was in Pakistan for a two-day state visit.
Although no group has officially claimed responsibility for the blast, police sources said that the attacker was a foreign national and had links with Fitna al Khwaraji, a term used for Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
Emergency declared at Islamabad hospitals
An emergency was also declared on orders of the executive director of PIMS at Polyclinic, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and CDA Hospital in Islamabad.
The emergency, orthopaedic, neurology, and burn centres were swiftly activated as the injured are being transferred to PIMS and Polyclinic for treatment, it added.
The attack came less than three months after a suicide bomber killed 12 people in a blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad.
President Zardari, Senate Opposition leader condemn attack
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas condemned the attack.
“Targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said.
Strongly condemning the attack, Abbas said that targeting places of worship is a direct attack on humanity, religion and social values, which cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.
This is a developing story. More details are awaited.
