The death toll in the Peshawar suicide blast has risen to 62, as five succumbed to their injuries on Saturday while 37 are still under treatment at the Lady Reading Hospital in the city, Aaj News reported.

Lady Reading Hospital spokesperson Muhammad Asim confirmed the deaths of the five injured which takes the death toll so far to 62. The spokesperson added that 37 people were being treated at the hospital.

On Friday, 57 people, including a policeman, were killed and 194 others were injured when a suicide attacker detonated himself while prayers were under way at an imambargah plus mosque located in the historic Qissa Khawani bazaar of Peshawar.

Late on Friday night, AFP reported that the militant Islamic State group had claimed the suicide bombing in Peshawar.

“Today ... an Islamic State fighter succeeded in assaulting a Shia mosque in Peshawar,” the group said on its Amaq propaganda site.

Even before the claim came to light, security officials were of the view that the attack bore the hallmarks of the Islamic State group’s Khorasan chapter.

In a video statement, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police and investigation bodies have identified three suspects of the Peshawar blast and have “closed in on them.”

In this regard, he added the KP police, investigation, and interrogating institutions have done a “remarkable job.” Police would be able to arrest the suspects in the coming two-three days, he said, adding: “they have totally identified the suspects.”

In a related development, the joint investigation team of Counter-Terrorism Department on Saturday claimed to have arrested two suspects for their involvement in the Peshawar suicide blast. The investigating team has also found seven bullet shells from the site of the incident, adding that the assailant used a 9mm pistol.

The police have claimed to reach a “certain point of investigation” and the team was trying to look into more CCTV footage from other areas in order to ascertain the route of the rickshaw.

Furthermore, a case was registered at the CTD Police Station over the Peshawar suicide blast. CTD Police Station SHO Khan Razzaq is the complainant in the case. Sections of terrorism have been added to the FIR.

Moreover, Rashid also denied any request being submitted by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s request for the passport at the interior ministry.

On the rising clamour of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in parliament, he said so far no requisition has been submitted for the assembly session to the secretariat. He added that after the submission of such a requisition, the speaker has to call the session within 14 days.

“Requisition for the assembly session and the no-trust motion are two different things. They are not together,” he said, adding that two to three days are fixed for the speaker on the no-confidence motion and speeches and voting are conducted on it for seven days.

“So, I advise the opposition to not spread misinformation among the public,” he said, “countries are destroyed because of rumours, chaos and such things.”

Rashid reiterated that the premier would complete the five-year term and the opposition would face defeat in the assembly as they had in the past.