Islamabad, 07 February (H.S.): Pakistan's capital descended into chaos on Saturday following a suicide bombing during Friday prayers that ripped through Khadija al-Kubra Imambargah in the southeastern Tarlai neighborhood, killing at least 32 worshippers and injuring 169 others, as authorities apprehended the attacker's two brothers and a female relative.

Eyewitnesses recounted to Geo News how the assailant, intercepted by guards at the main entrance alongside accomplices, unleashed gunfire before one bomber penetrated approximately 20 meters inside and detonated his explosives on Friday afternoon, unleashing screams amid the pandemonium of the packed Shia congregation.

Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon confirmed no group immediately claimed responsibility, while intelligence sources identified the 32-year-old Peshawar native Yassir as the suicide operative—who had resided in Afghanistan for five months, receiving arms training and bomber indoctrination there.

Raids on his family home yielded the three detainees now under interrogation; search operations persist in Peshawar and Naushera to unmask accomplices, probing every facet of the outrage.

Leadership Mourns as India Rebuffs Asif's Reckless Blame

President Asif Ali Zardari expressed profound grief, terming the targeting of innocents a crime against humanity and extending condolences to bereaved families. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the ferocity, instructing Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to swiftly identify perpetrators for justice; Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz voiced deep sorrow over the sectarian savagery.

Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal reported ongoing treatment for 25 critically injured survivors. Defense Minister Khawaja Asif baselessly accused India and Afghanistan—prompting New Delhi's outright rejection and sharp rebuke for Pakistan's deflection of internal failures.

The assault, deadliest in Islamabad in over a decade, amplifies sectarian fault lines in Sunni-majority Pakistan, with investigations intensifying amid national outrage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar