Overview
- District authorities confirmed 31 fatalities and about 169 injured after the explosion at the Khadija Al-Kubra imambargah in Tarlai Kalan on the capital’s outskirts.
- Police classified the incident as a suicide attack, and officials said guards tried to stop the bomber at the entrance before he detonated during Friday prayers.
- Hospitals in Islamabad and nearby Rawalpindi declared emergencies as dozens of critically wounded patients received treatment and the toll could rise.
- The Pakistani Taliban said they were not involved, and officials reported identifying the attacker and alleged he had traveled to Afghanistan, assertions that have not been independently verified.
- President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the strike and ordered an investigation as security forces respond to a broader rise in militant violence, including recent attacks in Balochistan.