The attack, which took place during Friday prayers in the capital Islamabad, injured almost 170 people.
Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessWorld of BusinessTechnology of BusinessNYSE Opening BellTechnologyWatch DocumentariesArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindHealthWatch DocumentariesCultureWatch DocumentariesFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsWatch DocumentariesArts in MotionTravelWatch DocumentariesDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthWatch DocumentariesScienceNatural WondersClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoWatch DocumentariesBBC MaestroDiscover the WorldLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessTechnologyHealthCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveMore than 30 killed in blast at Pakistan mosque, officials say11 hours agoShareSaveShahzad Malik and Umer Draz, BBC Urdu, and Flora DruryIslamabad and LondonShareSavePakistan mosque explosion: where the attack unfoldedAt least 32 people have been killed and more than 160 injured in an explosion at a mosque during Friday prayers in Pakistan's capital, Islamabad, officials say.
A suicide bomber detonated a device after approaching the Shia mosque in the Tarlai area of the city, police said.
The Islamic State (IS) group claimed the attack, in a statement posted on its Telegram channel seen by the BBC. The group also issued a picture of the alleged bomber.
Condemning the attack, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed "deep grief". The country's president, Asif Ali Zardari, said "targeting innocent civilians is a crime against humanity".
Before the claim by IS, Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif suggested India and Afghanistan had been behind the attack.
Asif said in a social media post that it had been "proven" the attacker had travelled to and from Afghanistan, and "collusion between India and Afghanistan is being revealed".
Afghanistan's Taliban government described Asif's comments as "regrettable", saying the Pakistani minister "hastily attempted to attribute the incident to Afghanistan without presenting any credible evidence".
Afghan foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi earlier called such attacks a "contradiction to Islamic and humanitarian values".
The Indian foreign ministry also condemned the bombing, calling the accusations it may be involved "baseless".
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he condemned the attack in the "strongest terms" and called for those responsible to be "identified and brought to justice".
Zaheer Abbas was inside the Khadijatul Kubra Mosque praying when he first heard the sound of bullets.
"After that, we bowed and then prostrated, and then there was an explosion," he told BBC Urdu. "After which there were injured people lying everywhere."
Pictures from the mosque in the aftermath show footwear scattered across the floor, shattered glass,
0 Comments