Suicide blast rocks Pak: At least 31 killed, over 160 hurt in explosion at packed Shia meeting hall


At least 31 people were killed and over 160 injured after a blast at an Imambargah in Islamabad, as reported by news outlet Dawn. The blast occurred at the Terlai Imambargah in the Shehzad Town area. According to sources cited by Geo TV, the suicide blast targeted the Shia meeting hall around Friday prayers.Television footage and images circulating on social media showed police officers and local residents carrying the injured to nearby hospitals. Police and rescue teams rushed to the scene and began relief and evacuation efforts.Following the explosion an emergency was reported at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, news agency PTI reported citing local media.The attack drew widespread condemnation. Pakistan’s parliamentary affairs minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry condemned the attack on X, describing it as a “cowardly act” and expressing grief over the loss of life. Senate opposition leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also voiced sorrow, calling the incident a serious failure of security and warning that targeting places of worship “cannot be tolerated under any circumstances.”The blast came days after Pakistani forces deadly clash with the Balochistan Liberation Army, which lead to massive casualties on both sides.This is the second blast reported in Islamabad. In November, a suicide blast rocked Pakistan’s federal capital. Twleve people were killed in the incident.Pakistan has long faced a separatist insurgency in Balochistan, where armed groups regularly target security forces, foreign nationals and non-local Pakistanis. The mineral-rich province, bordering Afghanistan and Iran, has seen renewed violence following a series of coordinated attacks.