Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday sought a report from officials on the Peshawar mosque blast as Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid confirmed that the incident was a suicide attack.
At least 30 people died and 80 were injured in Friday's attack on an imambargah in the city's historic Qissa Khawani bazaar.
According to the Capital City Police Peshawar, two assailants were involved in the attack on the Shia Jamia Mosque in the historic Qissa Khawani bazaar of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s provincial capital, and they exchanged fire with police deployed at the entrance door. After opening fire, the assailants detonated themselves.
Authorities have cleared the area and cordoned off the imambargah, while law-enforcement personnel are collecting evidence from the site of the blast.
PM Imran in a statement strongly condemned the incident and expressed his grief over the loss of lives. He called for providing immediate medical aid to the injured people and sought a report on the blast from officials.
Interior Minister Rashid has confirmed that the mosque blast was a suicide attack after the Peshawar CCPO had revealed that the pieces of the evidence showed that the attack appeared to be a suicide bombing. “We are in contact with the chief secretary and IG police and have sought a report from them. This [Peshawar blast] is an attempt to weaken the state and condemn the attack,” he said while talking to Aaj News.
So far no group has claimed the responsibility for the attack.
Pakistan has witnessed a rise in the terror incident after the end of the ceasefire between the government and the banned Tehreek e Taliban. Since the end of the ceasefire, the security team guarding the polio team and police officers in Islamabad were attacked by the outlawed TTP. At that time, Rashid had warned of more terrorist attacks.
Condemnation
President Arif Alvi and leaders from both sides of the aisle have condemned the incident and deplored the loss of lives.
“The president expressed sympathy to the families of the martyrs, prayed for the forgiveness of the martyrs and speedy recovery for the injured,” he was quoted as saying in a tweet.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry alleged that the attack was part of a larger conspiracy aimed at undermining the efforts to bring stability to Pakistan.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, in a statement shared by the party, also condemned the blast and demanded of the government to immediately arrest the elements involved in terrorism and their facilitators.
"Words can't adequately condemn the sheer brutality. Terrorism continues to remain our foremost national challenge. Prayers & condolences are with the bereaved families!" said Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in a tweet.
PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz prayed for the departed souls and blamed the government for risk to the peace in the country.
PPP Senator Sherry Rehman also blamed the government for its "incompetence" to deal with the danger of escalating terrorism in the region. "They have zero ability to convene parliamentary consensus on the path forward in times of peril for Pakistan. What did they do to the National Action Plan?" she said.
German Ambassador also expressed his solidarity with the victims and their families in the difficult hour.
