Explosion at Islamabad Mosque Kills 31, Injures 169
At least 31 individuals have lost their lives and 169 others sustained injuries following an explosion at a mosque during Friday prayers in Islamabad, Pakistan's capital, according to official sources.
Police reports indicate that a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device after approaching the gates of the Shia mosque located in the Tarlai area of the city. Eyewitnesses informed the BBC that the blast was preceded by gunfire.
An emergency response was initiated as hospitals began receiving the wounded, accompanied by an urgent call for blood donations.
Government Officials Respond to the Attack
Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident, expressing
"deep grief"and urging a thorough investigation to promptly identify those responsible for the attack.
In separate statements, President Asif Ali Zardari described the targeting of innocent civilians as
"a crime against humanity". Defence Minister Khawaja Asif implicated India and Afghanistan in the attack.
Asif stated on social media that it had been
"proven"the attacker had traveled to and from Afghanistan and suggested that
"collusion between India and Afghanistan is being revealed".
The Taliban government in Afghanistan criticized Khawaja Asif's remarks as
"regrettable", asserting that the Pakistani minister
"hastily attempted to attribute the incident to Afghanistan without presenting any credible evidence".
The Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement that included the name and photograph of the alleged attacker. The BBC was unable to independently verify this claim.
Afghanistan's foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi condemned the attack and extended condolences, characterizing such violence as
"a contradiction to Islamic and humanitarian values".
The Indian foreign ministry also condemned the attack, expressing condolences for the loss of life and dismissing accusations of involvement as
"baseless".
Talal Chaudhry, Pakistan's minister of state for interior, stated that the suspect was not an Afghan citizen, according to local media reports.
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned the attack in the
"strongest terms"and called for those responsible to be
"identified and brought to justice".
Eyewitness Account: "We Bowed - Then There Was an Explosion"
Zaheer Abbas was inside the Khadijatul Kubra Mosque praying when he first heard gunfire.
"After that, we bowed and then prostrated, and then there was an explosion,"he told BBC Urdu.
"After which there were injured people lying everywhere."
Images from the mosque's aftermath depict footwear scattered on the floor, shattered glass, and individuals seated amid the debris.
Abbas described losing consciousness in the moments following the blast before being rescued by emergency services and taken to a hospital, where he was discharged shortly thereafter.
"Fortunately, I did not suffer much injury,"he said.
According to Pakistan's defence minister, the attacker opened fire and detonated the bomb after being confronted by security personnel.
The mosque's caretaker, Syed Ashfaq, who resides adjacent to the mosque, also heard gunfire and rushed to assist.
"By the time I reached it there had already been an explosion,"he told the BBC.
"Bodies were lying everywhere, some were missing arms, some missing legs. We took the most injured in our own vehicle [to hospital]."
Islamabad's deputy commissioner Irfan Memon reported on X that the death toll had reached 31, with 169 injured.
Photographs from local hospitals show the injured arriving via private vehicles and ambulances, with a photographer for news agency AFP observing dozens of casualties being brought in.
Context of Violence in Islamabad and Balochistan
While attacks in Islamabad are relatively infrequent, a November incident resulted in 12 fatalities and 27 injuries from a blast outside a courthouse.
The recent mosque blast follows a week marked by violence in the province of Balochistan, where coordinated attacks claimed 58 civilian lives.
The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) rebel group claimed responsibility for those attacks. The Pakistani military, engaged in a longstanding insurgency in the region, reported having killed over 200 militants in retaliation.
Last year was Pakistan's deadliest in over a decade, with combat-related deaths increasing by 74%. Militants accounted for more than half of the fatalities, according to a report by the independent Pakistan Institute for Conflict and Security Studies (PICSS).
The report indicated that violence in Pakistan resulted in 3,413 deaths, up from 1,950 in 2024, with 2,138 militants among the deceased.
Islamic State Claim and Details of the Attack
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the mosque attack through its "Pakistan Province" branch on Friday via Telegram channels. The group's Amaq news agency issued a statement providing additional details.
Amaq alleged that the attacker arrived at the "central temple [mosque]" in Tarlai district, Shahzad area. According to the statement, guards attempted to stop the attacker at the external gate, but he fired his pistol, injuring two guards before entering the mosque.
IS identified the attacker as "Sayf Allah al-Ansari," with the nom de guerre "Ansari" often indicating a local origin. Amaq's report included a photograph purportedly showing the masked attacker.
Additional reporting by Caroline Davies.
