A suicide bomber attacked a Shi'ite mosque in Pakistan's capital Islamabad on Friday, killing at least 31 people and wounding more than 170 others. The explosion occurred after the attacker opened fire at the gates and was challenged by guards. Officials described it as the deadliest such incident in the city in over a decade.
The attack took place at the Khadija Tul Kubra Imambargah compound on the outskirts of Islamabad. The bomber, who had a history of travelling to Afghanistan, opened fire at the entrance before detonating explosives as he entered the mosque. Defence Minister Khawaja Asif stated on X that the man 'blew himself up in the last row of worshippers.'
Images from the scene depicted bloodied bodies on the carpeted floor amid shards of glass, debris, and panicked worshippers. Many injured individuals lay in the compound's gardens as bystanders called for help. The blast marked the most lethal assault on a religious site in Islamabad in more than ten years.
Asif blamed neighbouring India for sponsoring the attack but offered no evidence. New Delhi has not responded, having previously rejected similar Pakistani claims of supporting militants.
At the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, Islamabad's main public hospital, relatives gathered anxiously outside, awaiting news of loved ones or claiming bodies. Sarfraz Shah, 46, recounted his experience to reporters: 'I heard the gunshots and I was just trying to make sense of what had happened when there was a massive explosion. It threw people here and there. There was smoke. No one knew what had happened. Then there was blood everywhere.' Shah had attended prayers with his brother Manzar Shah, 39, who perished in the blast.
The incident unfolded during Friday prayers, a time when mosques are typically crowded with worshippers.
