At least 31 people were killed and 169 injured when a suicide bomber struck an imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers, prompting an outpouring of condemnation from Pakistan’s political leadership and governments around the world.
Images from the scene showed blood-stained prayer carpets, shattered glass and debris strewn across the hall as panicked worshippers searched for survivors. The attack was widely described as “abhorrent” and “a direct assault on humanity, religion and social values”.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal condemned the “cowardly” bombing, saying his thoughts were with the victims’ families and vowing that the perpetrators would be brought to justice. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry echoed the sentiment, stressing that terrorism could not break the nation’s resolve and urging unity in support of law enforcement agencies.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif expressed deep sorrow and prayed for the swift recovery of the injured, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called the attack an “inhumane crime” and said his government shared the grief of the bereaved families. KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi termed the targeting of worshippers an assault on faith and shared humanity.
Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti said his province was no stranger to the pain of terrorism and offered condolences to the victims’ families. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari described the bombing as an attack on humanity and the national conscience, demanding a transparent investigation and stronger measures to protect places of worship.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, PTI leaders, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and several other political figures also strongly condemned the attack, calling it a grave failure of security and urging decisive action against militant networks and their facilitators. Religious leaders and opposition figures stressed that no ideology or belief could justify the killing of innocent worshippers.
Calls for unity and peace were repeated across party lines, with appeals for blood donations for the injured and assurances that terrorism would be defeated through collective resolve.
International condemnation followed swiftly. The United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Türkiye, Canada, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the European Union and several other countries and diplomatic missions expressed shock and sorrow, offering condolences and reaffirming support for Pakistan in its fight against terrorism. Russian President Vladimir Putin, British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, and Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai were among those who described the attack as a barbaric and cowardly act.
As Islamabad mourns, leaders at home and abroad have reiterated that attacks on places of worship are an affront to shared human values and that those responsible must be held accountable.
Header image: A man mourns outside an imambargah following the deadly blast in Islamabad on February 6. — AFP