Islamabad police chief’s cousin among 31 killed in suicide blast at Islamabad Imambargah

ISLAMABAD: A first cousin of Islamabad’s police inspector general was among at least 31 people killed in a suicide bombing at an Imambargah in Islamabad on Friday, authorities said.

The first cousin of the Islamabad police chief was identified as Hassan.

The blast occurred at the gate of an Imambargah in the Tarlai area as worshippers were entering the premises, shattering windows of nearby houses and sending panic through the neighbourhood, police and district officials said.

At least 169 people were injured, several of them critically, according to a spokesperson for the district administration. Hospitals in Islamabad were placed on emergency footing following the attack.

Hospital officials said four injured victims were initially shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital, where 22-year-old Zamin Shah later died of his wounds. The remaining injured were identified as Zain Shah, Azhar Shah and Riaz Shah, hospital sources said.

Police said the attacker attempted to enter the Imambargah but detonated his explosive vest after being stopped at the gate.

The bomber was linked to Fitna al-Khawarij, a term Pakistani authorities use for militant factions affiliated with the banned Tehreek-e- Taliban Pakistan.

Rescue teams and security forces sealed off the area while bomb disposal squads began investigating the nature of the explosion. Rangers and army personnel were also deployed at the site.

Emergency measures were imposed across the capital, with Polyclinic Hospital, PIMS and the CDA Hospital placed on high alert and staff leave cancelled. The injured were shifted to multiple facilities, including burn, orthopaedic and neurology departments, officials said.

The district administration said 23 injured were taken to PIMS and 13 to Polyclinic, with assistant commissioners deployed at hospitals to oversee treatment.

Officials warned the death toll could rise further as several victims remained in critical condition.

Security was also tightened in neighbouring Rawalpindi, where police raised the alert level, increased protection at mosques and Imambargahs and set up checkpoints on major entry and exit routes.

Additional police were deployed at churches and other sensitive sites in the cantonment area.

Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said that emergency protocols had been activated at all federally run hospitals, with doctors, nurses and paramedical staff recalled and medical supplies ensured.

State Minister for Interior Talal Chaudhry visited PIMS Hospital on the instructions of Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, directing officials to provide the best possible treatment to the wounded.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, expressing condolences to the families of those killed and ordering a full investigation to identify and punish those responsible.

“The targeting of innocent worshippers is a crime against humanity,” Zardari said in a statement.