At least 31 people have lost their lives and over 160 others are injured after a devastating blast ripped through a Shia mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. The explosion occurred at the Khadija al-Kubra mosque on the outskirts of the city's capital, leaving a trail of destruction and chaos in its wake.
Eyewitness accounts describe the scene as "harrowing" with bodies lying on the floor of the mosque and injured individuals screaming for help. Hussain Shah, an eyewitness who was praying in the courtyard when the explosion occurred, said he saw around 30 bodies inside the mosque while the number of injured appeared to be significantly higher.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber. The group has previously targeted Shia worshippers, and this latest incident raises concerns about the security situation in Pakistan.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, with Zardari calling it "a crime against humanity" and vowing to identify and punish those responsible. The country's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has also expressed outrage at the incident and urged authorities to provide the best medical care possible for the injured.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's mainstream media faced criticism after initially failing to report on the attack, with many outlets relying on social media for information instead of their own news coverage. This highlights concerns about the reliability of traditional media in the face of rapid social media dissemination.
The incident comes as a surge in militant violence has plagued Pakistan in recent months, with groups such as the Baloch separatist movement and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspected of being behind many attacks. The latest attack is one of several high-profile incidents to have occurred in Islamabad in recent years, including a 2008 bombing at the Marriott hotel that killed over 60 people.
The Pakistani government has vowed to take action against those responsible for the attack and provide support to the families of the victims. However, many remain concerned about the country's security situation and the ability of authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.
Eyewitness accounts describe the scene as "harrowing" with bodies lying on the floor of the mosque and injured individuals screaming for help. Hussain Shah, an eyewitness who was praying in the courtyard when the explosion occurred, said he saw around 30 bodies inside the mosque while the number of injured appeared to be significantly higher.
Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, which is believed to have been carried out by a suicide bomber. The group has previously targeted Shia worshippers, and this latest incident raises concerns about the security situation in Pakistan.
Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack, with Zardari calling it "a crime against humanity" and vowing to identify and punish those responsible. The country's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, has also expressed outrage at the incident and urged authorities to provide the best medical care possible for the injured.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's mainstream media faced criticism after initially failing to report on the attack, with many outlets relying on social media for information instead of their own news coverage. This highlights concerns about the reliability of traditional media in the face of rapid social media dissemination.
The incident comes as a surge in militant violence has plagued Pakistan in recent months, with groups such as the Baloch separatist movement and the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) suspected of being behind many attacks. The latest attack is one of several high-profile incidents to have occurred in Islamabad in recent years, including a 2008 bombing at the Marriott hotel that killed over 60 people.
The Pakistani government has vowed to take action against those responsible for the attack and provide support to the families of the victims. However, many remain concerned about the country's security situation and the ability of authorities to prevent such incidents in the future.
this is so sad what happened at that mosque in Islamabad... 
my heart goes out to all those people who lost their lives & their loved ones are going thru this horrible time 
pakistan is already dealing with a lot of problems like terrorism & poverty, now they have to deal with this too 
i wish the government would do more to prevent these kinds of attacks 
especially in public places where ppl are supposed to feel safe praying or just hanging out 
anyways i hope the injured people get the best medical care possible & recover soon 
this is just so sickening ... how can a place of worship be turned into a war zone like that? 
and honestly, how many more lives have to be lost before something is done about this? 
i heard about the marriott hotel bombing back in 2008 thats crazy 60 people killed thats even more than the number of people who died today lol newsflash pakistan needs to step up its security situation ASAP 
otherwise its just gonna keep happenin and people are gonna keep dyin 
maybe we need to think outside the box and come up with new security measures 
or just get more involved in our communities to make a difference 
. Like, it's not a secret, they've been doing this for years. And now they're blaming Pakistan for not stopping them? Get real, it's the terrorist group's fault, not Pakistan's security situation 
. Also, social media shouldn't be relied on as the primary source of news, that's just crazy talk 
. But seriously, it's still pretty shocking that Pakistan's mainstream media took so long to get on board with covering this story. Like, shouldn't they be prioritizing their own reporting instead of relying on social media for info? 
.