By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: An explosion struck a Shia mosque in Islamabad on Friday, with initial reports indicating multiple casualties in what appeared to be a suicide bombing at the entrance during afternoon prayers, police and local media reports said.
The blast occurred at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai Kalan area of the federal capital’s Shehzad Town, according to media outlets. Police and rescue teams rushed to the site, launching relief and rescue operations, while the injured were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) and Polyclinic Hospital.
A spokesperson for PIMS confirmed to media that an emergency had been enforced at the hospital on the directives of its executive director. The main emergency, orthopaedic, burn centre and neurology departments were activated to handle the influx of victims.
Emergencies were also declared at Polyclinic, PIMS and CDA Hospital across the city, as stated by the Islamabad police, media reported. The Inspector General of Islamabad Police arrived at the scene within minutes, along with emergency responders.
Preliminary reports from Times of Islamabad and Mehr News Agency suggested a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the main gate of the mosque, also known as Tarlai Imambargah. Casualties were feared, with some unconfirmed accounts from Pakistan Observer and Daily Pakistan indicating several people injured and possible deaths.
A video circulating on social media showed human body parts at the site, though details remained unverified. “The explosion took place in the courtyard of Imambargah,” an Islamabad police spokesperson told BBC Urdu, without providing further details on the cause or exact toll.
Local media reported that the bomber was intercepted before detonating, but this could not be independently confirmed. The incident sent shockwaves through the capital, triggering panic in the vicinity. Further details were awaited as operations continued.
Friday’s blast comes less than three months after a suicide attack outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad’s G-11 area on Nov. 11, 2025, which killed 12 people and injured more than 30. It also follows a wave of deadly attacks in Balochistan province days earlier, claimed by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which killed 36 civilians, including women and children, and 22 security and law enforcement personnel on Jan. 31 in areas including Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar and Pasni.
A day earlier, Pakistan’s military announced the conclusion of Operation Raddul Fitna 1, eliminating at least 216 terrorists in coordinated engagements and clearance operations, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).
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