Suicide Bombing at Friday Prayers in Islamabad Kills 31

At least 31 people were killed and 169 others injured in a devastating explosion during Friday prayers at a Shia mosque in Islamabad on Friday (February 6), officials said.
The blast occurred at the Khadija al-Kubra Imambargah in the Tarlai area of the Pakistani capital. According to Islamabad police spokesperson Taqi Jawad, preliminary evidence suggests the incident was a suicide bombing.
Among the victims was a cousin of Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Syed Ali Nasir Rizvi. Another relative of the IGP was also injured in the attack.
Following the explosion, law enforcement agencies cordoned off the area, while emergency services rushed the injured to nearby hospitals, including Poly Clinic Hospital, Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), and CDA Hospital. Emergency alerts were declared at these facilities, and hospital authorities appealed to citizens to donate blood.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said that 25 ambulances were dispatched from Punjab to Islamabad to assist in rescue operations. Hospitals in Rawalpindi were also placed on high alert, with specialist doctors instructed to remain on standby.
The attack took place amid an official visit to Pakistan by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, heightening security concerns.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack and expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives. Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar described the bombing as a crime against humanity. Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Reza Amiri Moghadam, also denounced the attack and extended condolences to the bereaved families.
Leader of the opposition in the Senate, Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, termed the incident a “gross failure of the administration” and urged young people to come forward to donate blood for the injured.
Notably, this is the second major terrorist attack in Islamabad in recent months. On November 11 last year, a suicide bombing outside a court building in the capital killed 12 people, underscoring persistent security challenges in the city.