Suicide blast at Islamabad mosque kills 31

A Suicide Blast at Islamabad Mosque Kills 31

Islamabad, Pakistan - A tragic suicide bomb attack occurred at a Shia mosque in the city of Islamabad, resulting in the deaths of at least 31 people and over 170 injuries. This incident marks one of the deadliest attacks in Pakistan's capital since the 2008 Marriott bombing.

The explosion happened after Friday prayers at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque on the outskirts of Islamabad. A police source revealed that the attacker was stopped at the gate but still managed to detonate himself, causing significant destruction and loss of life.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. However, Pakistan's defence minister, Khawaja Asif, accused India of sponsoring the bombing without providing any evidence. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India strongly denied these baseless claims and condemned the attack, urging Pakistan to address its internal issues instead of shifting blame.

Eyewitness accounts describe hearing gunfire before a powerful explosion tore through the mosque during prayers. One worshipper, Muhammad Kazim, recounted that during the first bow of namaz, gunfire was heard, followed immediately by an explosion while they were still in the bowing position.

South Asia analyst Michael Kugelman suggested that the target could be either a local affiliate of the Islamic State (IS) or anti-Shia militants. Videos shared on social media, which AFP couldn't verify immediately, showed several bodies lying near the mosque's front gate. Armed security forces were seen outside the mosque, with pools of blood visible on the ground and crime scene tape surrounding the investigation area.

The attack comes as Pakistan's security forces are battling intensifying insurgencies in southern and northern provinces that border Afghanistan. Islamabad has long accused separatist armed groups in Balochistan and the Pakistani Taliban in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa of using Afghan territory as a safe haven to launch attacks. However, Afghanistan's Taliban government has repeatedly denied these accusations, leading to strained bilateral ties and increased border clashes between the two nations.