On Friday, a huge bomb exploded inside a Shiite Muslim mosque in Pakistan’s northern city of Peshawar, killing at least 45 worshippers and injuring many others, several of whom were badly injured, according to police.
The incident began when two armed assailants opened fire on police near a mosque in Peshawar’s old city, according to Peshawar Police Chief Muhammed Ejaz Khan. During the gunfight, one attacker and one police officer were killed, while another police officer was injured. The final assailant dashed into the mosque and exploded a bomb.
Waheed Khan, a local police official, said the explosion happened as worshippers gathered for Friday prayers at the Kucha Risaldar mosque. He noted that the death toll is sure to climb because many of the injured are in serious condition.
Ambulances hurried through the packed streets, transporting the injured to Lady Reading Hospital, where physicians laboured tirelessly. Witnesses say at least 150 people were inside the mosque at the time of the blast.
No one has claimed credit for the blast yet, but the Islamic State and a fierce Pakistani Taliban group have both carried out similar attacks in the region, which is close to the Afghan border.
Witness Shayan Haider was about to enter the mosque when he was thrown to the street by a huge explosion.
‘When I opened my eyes, there was dust and bodies all over,’ he explained.
The emergency department at Lady Reading Hospital was a shambles as doctors struggled to get the many injured into operation rooms. Hundreds of relatives gathered outside the emergency room, many of them sobbing and beating their chests as they pleaded for information on their loved ones.
The bombing was denounced by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Sher Ali, a retired army officer, was hurt by flying shrapnel while inside the mosque at the time of the explosion. He made an emotional plea to Pakistan’s leadership for better protection of the country’s Shiite Muslims, who make up the country’s minority.
“What is our transgression?” What have we accomplished? ‘Aren’t we citizens of this country?’ he asked, his white clothes splattered with blood from inside the emergency room.
Minority Shiite Muslims have been attacked repeatedly in Pakistan, which is dominated by Sunni Muslims.
Pakistan has seen a significant spike in violence in recent months. Hundreds of military personnel have been murdered in strikes on army installations along Afghanistan’s border. The Pakistani Taliban has made numerous claims, which analysts believe have been bolstered by the Afghan Taliban’s return to power last August.
Pakistan has requested Afghanistan’s new government to hand over Pakistani Taliban fighters operating out of Afghanistan. Although the Taliban in Afghanistan claim that their land will not be used to plan attacks against anyone, they have yet to hand over any Pakistani insurgents.
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