E-Paper
‘Baseless, pointless’: India condoles Islamabad deaths, rejects Pak's external involvement claims
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.
“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.
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.
31 dead, over 150 injured in Islamabad blast
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.
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.
