By Sadiq Abdulfatah

On Friday, a huge explosion occured at Khadija Al-Kubra Mosque in Islamabad during Jummah Prayer leaving a total of 31 people dead and at least 169 others injured in which one of the Religious leader Raja Nasir described as a “terrorist act and failure in protecting human lives”.

According to him, “Such a terrorist act in the federal capital is not only a serious failure in protecting human lives but also raises significant questions about the performance of the authorities and law enforcement agencies urging people to give blood amid an urgent need at hospitals in Islamabad”.

Following local report, many of those injured were said to be in a critical condition, causing authorities to fear the death toll may rise further. Witnesses also described seeing bodies and wounded people lying on the floor of the mosque, while television footage and images from social media reveal police and residents taking injured people to nearby hospitals.

The culprit behind the explosion is still unknown but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Pakistani Taliban or the Islamic State group after they were blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers. Shiite muslims are those who believe in Shia Islam, the religion’s second-largest branch, which is a minority community in Pakistan.

President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack and shared his condolences with the families of those killed in the explosion adding that this is the latest attack in months and targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has ordered a full investigation as police have raised concerns that a suicide bomber may have carried out the attack adding that those responsible must be identified and punished.

Source: ITV News