[ad_1]
A powerful suicide blast ripped through a crowded Shia mosque during the Friday congregation in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar city, killing at least 35 people and wounding more than 80 others, in one of the deadliest attacks in the restive province, bordering Afghanistan.
A rescue official said the blast occurred at a Jamia mosque in Qissa Khwani bazaar area in Peshawar when the worshippers were offering Friday prayers.
No group immediately claimed responsibility for the blast.
Asim Khan, media manager of Lady Reading Hospital, said 30 bodies had been brought to the hospital so far, according to Dawn newspaper.
At least 80 people have been injured, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Kamran Bangash, the paper said.
Talking to the media, Peshawar SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed Khan said the explosion was a suicide blast.
There were two attackers but only one of them was a suicide bomber, he said.
An emergency has been enforced in the hospital and doctors on leave were called for duties.
Officials said the condition of 10 injured is stated to be critical.
Capital City Police Officer Peshawar Ijaz Ahsan said two attackers tried to enter the mosque and fired at the policemen standing guard. One policeman was killed while the other was critically injured, he said.
The blast occurred following the firing incident, he added.
President Arif Alvi condemned the blast and expressed grief over the precious lives lost.
Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the Peshawar blast while Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed sought a report of the incident from the Chief Secretary and IG of the province.
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan condemned the blast and vowed to bring the perpetrators of this heinous act to justice.
He said targeting people in a place of worship is an inhuman and cruel act and directed authorities to ensure the best medical care to the injured.
He has convened an emergency meeting at Chief Minister’s House to review the overall security situation in the province, bordering Afghanistan.
“Heart-wrenching terrorist incident in Peshawar in which so many precious lives have been lost. Words can’t adequately condemn the sheer brutality. Terrorism continues to remain our foremost national challenge. Prayers & condolences are with the bereaved families!” PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif tweeted.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dear Reader,
Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance.
We, however, have a request.
As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed.
Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard.
Digital Editor
[ad_2]
Source link