- Rescue operations are underway in the mosque, which is situated inside a police compound.
- The mosque is mostly attended by law enforcement officials.
- At least 61 people were killed and about 157 injured.
According to Peshawar Police Chief Mohammad Aijaz Khan, a horrific bomb in a mosque on Monday in the northwest Pakistani city of Peshawar resulted in at least 61 fatalities and about 157 injuries.
The mosque, which is located inside a police compound and is mostly used by law enforcement personnel, is currently the scene of rescue operations.
The event inside the Police Lines Mosque was “possibly a suicide attack,” Peshawar police chief Khan stated in a statement to CNN, echoing Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
In a statement, Sharif stated that “hitting the House of Allah is proof that the attackers have nothing to do with Islam” and that “the savage death of Muslims prostrating before Allah is against the principles of the Quran.”
The prime minister said, “Terrorists want to instill terror by targeting people who carry out the responsibility of defending Pakistan.
All mention of those who oppose Pakistan will be removed from the record.
In order to reestablish peace and order in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where Peshawar is situated, a “complete strategy” is under development, Sharif added.
Concerning the perpetrator of the incident, conflicting information has surfaced. Muhammad Khorasani, a Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, denied any involvement in the assault.
We believe it is important to make it clear that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan is unrelated to the Peshawar event. Any action in mosques, madrasas, funeral grounds, and other sacred locations is illegal, according to our laws and general constitution, Khorasani said in a statement late Monday.
Sarbakaf Mohmand and Omar Mukaram Khurasani, two TTP officials who had previously claimed the explosion was “revenge” for the murder of TTP militant Khalid Khorasani last year, were not addressed by him.
An international terrorist group with operations in both Afghanistan and Pakistan is the TTP, according to the US.
Authorities in Pakistan have not verified either claim but maintain that an investigation is ongoing.
‘You can’t underestimate the resolve of our people’
Following the fatal explosion, Prime Minister Sharif rushed to Peshawar and went to Lady Reading Hospital to meet the injured, according to his office.
“I recently came back from Peshawar. It is impossible to fathom the magnitude of the human catastrophe. This can only be described as an assault on Pakistan. The country is experiencing intense grief. Terrorism is without a doubt the biggest threat to our national security, Sharif wrote on Twitter.
He continued, “My message to those responsible for today’s abhorrent crime is that you can’t underestimate the tenacity of our people.
Imran Khan, a former leader of Pakistan, also denounced the explosion in a tweet, writing that “it is essential we strengthen our information collection & adequately equip our police forces to face the growing menace of terrorism.”
Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf holds the provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkwa.
The TTP and other militant groups have repeatedly launched attacks in the city of Peshawar, which is situated on the outskirts of Pakistan’s tribal regions that border Afghanistan.
In March 2022, a Shia mosque in Peshawar was attacked, according to the Islamic State (ISIS). At least 61 persons were killed and 196 were injured in that explosion.
The incident on Monday has not yet been addressed by Muhammad Khurasani, the TTP’s central spokesman.
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