After the blast, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said that it was a suicide attack and that a man blew "himself up in the last row of worshippers”.
India on Friday condemned the explosion at a Shia religious centre in Pakistan’s capital Islamabad and condoled the deaths of 31 people who died in the explosion.
India condemned the explosion at a Shia religious centre in Pakistan
“The bombing at an Islamabad mosque earlier today is condemnable and India condoles the loss of life it has caused,” said the ministry of external affairs, hours after the blast.
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Further, India also rejected Pakistani defence minister Khawaja Asif's implication that some other country was involved in the attack. “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. India rejects any and every such allegation, which is as baseless as it is pointless,” the MEA said.
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31 dead, over 150 injured in Islamabad blast
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India’s statement comes after a blast ripped through Islamabad, killing dozens of people and injuring over 150 others, some of whom were reportedly critical. The blast happened during the Friday prayers and according to the Islamabad police, it was an attack and a probe has been initiated.
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India’s statement comes after a blast ripped through Islamabad, killing dozens of people and injuring over 150 others, some of whom were reportedly critical. The blast happened during the Friday prayers and according to the Islamabad police, it was an attack and a probe has been initiated.
Visuals from the blast site reportedly show bloodied bodies lying on the floor of the mosque amid broken glass and debris as people frantically called for help.
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After the blast, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif said that it was a suicide attack and that a man blew "himself up in the last row of worshippers”. He also went on to claim that the attacker had a history of travelling to Afghanistan and implied that India was involved in it without providing any evidence, a claim which was rejected by India.
Eyewitnesses said that the attacker first opened fire at people in the mosque before setting off the suicide bomb, reported Geo News. The main door is at least 30 metres away from the imambargah’s gate. When the attacker reached the main gate, the religious facility’s guards tried to stop him, following which an exchange of fire took place. He then ran inside at least 20 metres, and as the prayer was underway, he blew himself up, the Geo report added.
Nikita Sharma is a Senior Content Producer with Hindustan Times. She is a Delhi-based digital journalist with five years of experience writing and editing news stories across beats including crime, politics, tech, trends and much more, both national and international. At Hindustan Times, she is part of the news team and focuses on breaking news, keeping a track of what is happening where, and chasing ever-developing news stories. She has a penchant for covering crime, geopolitics, and Indian politics with a keen eye for stories often overlooked in the daily news cycle. At Hindustan Times, she has extensively covered several key events including the US Presidential elections, Air India plane crash, Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, US’ tariff war, and others. As a Delhi aficionado, she particularly enjoys roaming and writing about the national capital — its heritage, food, art and culture, and the many problems that come with it — the pollution, waterlogging, traffic, and more. Nikita did her Bachelor in Journalism and Mass Communication from GGSIPU and started working as a digital journalist in 2021. During her first stint, she covered hyperlocal news at a Delhi-based newsroom, writing and editing stories on builder-buyer conflicts, civic issues such as potholes, waterlogging, lack of facilities at hospitals in Delhi, crippling of the city during peak monsoon season. She also wrote features covering Delhi’s art exhibitions, heritage walks, artist profiles, museums, classical Hindustani music concerts and dance shows. She entered mainstream news in 2023 and has previously worked at NDTV.
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