A Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up during afternoon prayers at a mosque full of worshipers in a heavily guarded zone in Pakistan’s restive northwestern city of Peshawar, killing at least 61 people and wounding more than 150 others, mostly police, officials said.
A powerful blast occurred inside a mosque in the Police Lines area around 1:40 pm when worshippers, including police, army and bomb disposal unit personnel, were offering Zuhr (afternoon) prayers.
The bomber, who was present in the front row, detonated himself, causing the roof to collapse on worshippers, officials said. Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Muhammad Ijaz Khan said 61 people were killed in the blast. He said 300 to 400 police officers were present in the area at the time of the blast. “It is clear that there was a security failure,” he told the media.
Among the dead were at least five sub-inspectors and the mosque’s prayer leader Maulana Sahibzada Noorul Amin. Officials at Lady Reading Hospital said more than 150 people were injured.
The suicide attack was claimed by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), known as the Pakistani Taliban, saying it was part of a revenge attack for the slain TTP commander Umar Khalid Khurasani, who was killed in Afghanistan last August. A police official said part of the mosque had collapsed and several people were believed to be underneath.
The head of the rescue operation, Bilal Faizi said “At the moment we are concentrating on the rescue operation. Our first priority is to safely retrieve the people buried under the debris”.
The bomber entered a high-security mosque inside police lines, where there were four levels of security. Provincial police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari said they were investigating the blast and how the bomber got into the heavily fortified mosque. He expressed concern that the bomber may have been living in the police lines before the blast, as there are also family quarters inside the police lines.
Prime minister called an extraordinary meeting
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief General Asim Munir rushed to Peshawar to take stock of the relief and rescue operation. The Prime Minister along with the Army Chief also visited Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar and inquired about the health of the injured. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and other officials were also present.
The prime minister called an extraordinary meeting where a preliminary report on the investigation was presented. Briefing the Prime Minister, IGP Ansari said that he did not know where the bomber came from and how he managed to join the police ranks.
Superintendent of Police (Investigation), Peshawar, Shazad Kaukab, whose office is close to the mosque, told media that the blast occurred when he had just entered the mosque to offer prayers. Luckily, he survived the attack.
Mass funeral of 27 victims was held at the police lines in the evening
Prime Minister Sharif had earlier strongly condemned the attack, saying the attackers behind the incident had “nothing to do with Islam”.
“Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who are doing their duty to defend Pakistan,” he said, promising that the victims of the blast would not go in vain. “The entire nation stands united against the menace of terrorism.” He also said that a comprehensive strategy would be adopted to combat the deteriorating law and order situation in the restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the federal government would help the provinces to enhance their counter-terrorism capacity.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the attack, saying “terrorist incidents ahead of local and general elections were meaningful”.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali condemned the blast and urged people to donate blood for the injured, saying it would be a “huge favor” for the police.
State of emergency has been declared in Peshawar
The bodies and the injured were taken to Lady Reading Hospital, officials said. A state of emergency has been declared in hospitals in Peshawar. The hospital called on citizens to donate blood for the victims.
After the blast in Peshawar, security was beefed up in other major cities, including Islamabad. In Islamabad, security has been increased at all entry and exit points of the capital and snipers have been deployed at “important places and buildings”.
Caretaker Chief Minister Azam Khan condemned the attack and offered condolences to the bereaved families. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the mosque.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted: “My prayers and condolences go out to the families of the victims. It is imperative that we improve our intelligence gathering and properly equip our police force to combat the growing threat of terrorism”.
