India condemns Islamabad Mosque bombing
New Delhi, Feb 7: India on late Friday strongly condemned the suicide bombing at a Shia Mosque in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, which left at least 31 people dead and nearly 170 injured, even as New Delhi firmly rejected allegations by Pakistani leaders linking the attack to India. In a statement issued late at night, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said the bombing was “condemnable” and expressed condolences for the loss of life. “It is unfortunate that, instead of seriously addressing the problems plaguing its social fabric, Pakistan should choose to delude itself by blaming others for its home-grown ills,” the MEA spokesperson said, adding that India “rejects any and every such allegation, which is as baseless as it is pointless”.
The explosion occurred during Friday prayers at a mosque in the Tarlai area of Islamabad. Police said a suicide bomber approached the gates of the mosque and detonated an explosive device. Eyewitnesses reported hearing gunfire moments before the blast. An emergency was declared across hospitals in the capital as the injured were rushed in, prompting appeals for blood donations.
Islamabad’s deputy commissioner Irfan Memon said the death toll stood at 31, with 169 people injured. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed “deep grief” over the attack and ordered a thorough investigation to identify those responsible. President Asif Ali Zardari described the targeting of civilians as a “crime against humanity”. The Islamic State (IS) group later claimed responsibility for the attack. According to a report by the BBC, the group released a statement naming and showing a photograph of the alleged attacker. IS’s Amaq news agency claimed the bomber, identified as “Sayf Allah al-Ansari”, was stopped by guards at the outer gate of the mosque, opened fire, injuring two security personnel, and then entered the premises before detonating the bomb. The name “Ansari” is often used by militants to suggest a local origin.
The Afghan foreign ministry also condemned the attack, calling such violence a contradiction of “Islamic and humanitarian values”, and extended condolences to the victims’ families. A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN condemned the bombing “in the strongest terms” and called for those responsible to be identified and brought to justice.
The bombing comes amid a sharp rise in militant violence across Pakistan. In November, a blast near a courthouse in the capital killed 12 people and injured 27 others. More recently, coordinated attacks in Baluchistan province killed at least 58 civilians, with the Baluchistan Liberation Army claiming responsibility. Pakistan’s military said it killed more than 200 militants in subsequent operations.
