Suicide blast in Peshawar mosque claims at least 30 lives, injures more than 80

A suicide blast inside a Shia mosque shook Peshawar’s Kocha Risaldar area on Friday, with hospital officials saying at least 30 bodies were brought to the Lady Reading Hospital.

At least 80 people have been injured, according to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa minister Kamran Bangash.

KP government spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif said at least 30 people had been killed in the explosion, which he said was a suicide bombing. He added that two terrorists were involved in the attack.

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Mohammad Ijaz Khan said one police official was martyred while Asim Khan, media manager of Lady Reading, said 30 bodies had been brought to the hospital so far.

The CCPO said that according to initial reports, two attackers tried to enter a mosque in the city’s Qissa Khwani Bazaar and fired at the policemen standing guard. As a result, one policeman was martyred while another was critically injured, the CCPO said, adding that one of the attackers was killed in the gunfight. The remaining attacker then ran inside the mosque and detonated a bomb, he said.

Police official Waheed Khan told AP that the explosion occurred as worshippers had collected in the Kocha Risaldar mosque for Friday prayers.

Later, talking to media at the blast site, Peshawar SSP Operations Haroon Rasheed Khan said the explosion was a suicide blast and that two policemen had been martyred in the attack.

He said there were two attackers but only one of them was a suicide bomber. The SSP also told the media there was no “threat alert”.

He said it was premature to say anything about the explosives used in the attack. “Initial investigations are underway and we can share more information later,” he added.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack.

A witness Shayan Haider had been preparing to enter the mosque when a powerful explosion threw him to the street.

“I opened my eyes and there was dust and bodies everywhere,” he said.

Evidence has been collected from the site, according to a tweet by the Peshawar CCPO account.

At the Lady Reading Hospital Emergency department, there was chaos as doctors struggled to move the many wounded into operating theatres. The hospital has been put on red alert and more medical personnel have been called to LRH, the spokesperson added.

The area has a number of markets and is usually packed around the time of Friday prayers, said locals.

Condemnations

Prime Minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the attack and directed provision of immediate medical treatment to the injured, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement.

President Dr Arif Alvi condemned the incident in a statement and expressed grief over the precious lives lost. He expressed sympathy with the families of the departed and also prayed for the recovery of the injured.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid also condemned the attack, saying he had directed the provincial chief secretary and inspector general of police to submit a report.

He expressed grief over the lives lost in the incident.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Peshawar incident is a part of a “larger conspiracy”. “We have fought against such conspiracies in the past. God willing the enemies of Pakistan will continue to fail.”

PML-N President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif offered condolences to the families of those martyred in the attack.

Strongly condemning the incident in a statement, Shehbaz said those who attacked worshippers could be “neither Muslims nor humans”.

He also expressed concern over the “serious security conditions” in the country.

“Words can’t adequately condemn the sheer brutality. Terrorism continues to remain our foremost national challenge,” he added in a tweet later.

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said terrorists had “carried out an attack on humanity” by targeting innocent worshippers.

He demanded that the government immediately arrest terrorist elements and their facilitators.

The PPP chairperson said he was saddened by the non-implementation of the National Action Plan.

PPP’s Senator Sherry Rehman echoed Bilawal’s sentiments, saying, “An attack on people praying is an attack on the heart of all morality!”

She also criticised the government for its “inability to deal with the danger of escalating terrorism in the region”.

Provincial Minister Kamran Bangash also offered his condolences to the victims’ families, adding that he was on his way to the hospital.

“May Allah bless the departed souls and grant sabr to their loved ones,” he tweeted.

German Ambassador to Pakistan Bernhard Schlagheck said he was heartbroken by the “act of horrific terror against worshippers in Peshawar”.

“My colleagues at the embassy and I stand in solidarity with the victims and their families in this difficult hour. Wishing quick recovery to the injured,” he said.

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.