Thousands Attend Funeral For Islamabad Suicide Bombing Victims

ISLAMABAD, Feb 7 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Funeral prayers were held for the victims of Friday’s suicide bombing at a religious site on the outskirts of Islamabad, Anadolu Ajansi reported.

Thousands of mourners, including federal ministers, attended the mass funeral in Islamabad on Saturday.

Pakistani authorities said at least 31 people were killed and 169 were injured in a suicide bombing at Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra, a Shia Muslim place of worship in the Shehzad Town area of Islamabad, when the attacker detonated explosives after being confronted by security personnel during weekly Friday congregational prayers.

Authorities are still investigating the attack, but a security official confirmed that four key facilitators were arrested in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Friday night.

“At least four key facilitators of the Islamabad blast were arrested last night from the Nowshera and Peshawar districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,” a security official, who requested anonymity, told Anadolu.

The official said that when an operation to arrest the attacker’s accomplices was under way in Nowshera after the suicide bomber had been identified, militants opened fire on security personnel, killing one police sub-inspector and injuring five other security and intelligence officials.

Earlier on Friday night, State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry said intelligence agencies had identified the suicide bomber and reached out to facilitators, but did not share further details with the media.

“Investigation is ongoing, and a final report will be submitted to the prime minister within 72 hours,” he told reporters.

The Friday suicide bombing was the second major attack in Islamabad in less than three months.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon strongly condemned the Islamabad suicide bombing and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Pakistan.

“Malaysia stands with the people of Pakistan in this hour of grief. We extend our condolences to the families of the victims and express our solidarity with all those affected by this attack,” Anwar said on the US social media company X.

President Rahmon, in a message sent to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, said Tajikistan strongly condemned the attack and emphasised the need for continued efforts against terrorism, according to a statement from the Pakistani President’s office.

-- BERNAM-ANADOLU