Pakistan arrests 4 Islamabad bombing ‘facilitators’ as victims laid to rest
Pakistan blames ‘Indian-backed proxies’ for the attack; New Delhi rejects the accusation as ‘baseless and pointless’.
ISLAMABAD ( WEB NEWS )
Thousands of mourners gathered in the capital on Saturday to bury the victims of the attack, which killed at least 32 worshippers and injured 170 others, officials said.
The military said on Saturday that a “major breakthrough has been made in the investigation into the Trilai Kalan Islamabad suicide attack, with intelligence and law enforcement agencies conducting raids and making arrests in Peshawar and Nowshera”.
It said that the operations, based on technical and human intelligence, led to the arrest of “four facilitators of the suicide attacker, as well as the Afghan Daesh [ISIL or ISIS] mastermind behind the attack”.
The military alleged that the “planning, training, and indoctrination for the attack took place in Afghanistan”, adding that under “Afghan Taliban patronage, extremist groups continue to pose a serious threat to regional and global peace”.
Earlier in the day, police said “two brothers and a woman” were arrested during a raid on what they described as the alleged suicide bomber’s hideout.
Friday’s powerful explosion struck the Khadija Tul Kubra Shia mosque in the Tarlai Kalan area on the outskirts of Islamabad. The ISIL armed group claimed responsibility.
The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad since September 2008, when a suicide truck bomb killed more than 60 people and destroyed part of the five-star Marriott Hotel. While bombings are rare in the heavily guarded capital, this is the second such attack in three months, raising fears of a return to violence in Pakistan’s major urban centres.
Entire planning, training & radicalization of Islamabad attack was done in Afghanistan by Daesh: Mohsin Naqvi
Says the mastermind of the incident is an Afghan citizen & is in our custody
Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) have successfully nabbed the facilitators and perpetrators of Islamabad Imambargah bomb blast.
This was stated by Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi while talking to newsmen in Islamabad on Saturday. He said raids were conducted in Peshawar and Nowshehra in collaboration with Counter Terrorism Department Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other agencies.
The Interior Minister said the mastermind of the incident is an Afghan citizen and is in our custody. He said the entire planning, training and radicalization of the attack was done in Afghanistan by Daesh.
He said there is not even a flicker of doubt now that Afghanistan is the breeding hub of terrorist organizations.
The Interior Minister added that be it TTP, Taliban, Daesh or any other group, all are operating from Afghan soil with funding from India. He said India has raised the budget for this funding since May last year.
“I am telling you again with clarity that their [terrorist outfits] entire funding is being provided by India. All targets being provided to them by India,” Mohsin Naqvi said.
He added that the KP Counter Terrorism Department has arrested all individuals linked to the attack, adding that the CTD and other agencies worked together as a team during the operations. During the raids, he said that a KP policeman was martyred and a few others were injured.
“We have evidence of how the attacker was trained and how he was brought here. The planning and training were carried out in Afghanistan,” the interior minister said.
Mohsin Naqvi said that India was funding terrorist networks, including Daesh, adding that payments to each militant have increased from $500 to $1,500. “India has tripled its terror budget after facing a defeat in May,” he said. However, Mohsin Naqvi vowed to stop terrorism even “if terrorists increase their budget tenfold”.
The interior minister stressed that Pakistan must treat all militants equally. “Enemy is enemy. Do not categorise those fighting against Pakistan. If the world does not raise its voice, the consequences will be severe,” he warned. He noted that social media platforms were notified to close accounts used by terrorists. “If platforms do not act, other options will be taken.”
At least 71 people were killed and another more than 100 were injured when an explosion ripped through an imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers.
Images from the site showed bloodied bodies lying on the carpeted floor surrounded by shards of glass, debris and panicked worshippers.
The attack was condemned by political leaders in Pakistan and countries across the globe, which labelled the incident “abhorrent” and “a direct attack on humanity, religion and social values”.
Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal strongly condemned the “cowardly” attack, writing on X, he said that his heart went out to the victims’ families.
“Pakistan stands united against terrorism — we will bring the perpetrators to justice,” he added.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi branded the attack “a cowardly and inhumane crime” and expressed grief over the loss of innocent lives.
“The suicide attack in a place of worship is the worst example of enmity against humanity,” he said. “The provincial government equally shares the grief of the bereaved families.”
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi said, “Targeting a place of worship and innocent worshippers is an assault on our faith, our values, and our shared humanity.”
Expressing his grief, he emphasised that the people of KP stood with the bereaved.
“This vile act is part of a sinister conspiracy by Fitna al Khawarij, operating under Indian patronage, to spread fear and destabilise our homeland,” the governor said.
“The people of Pakistan stand shoulder to shoulder with our armed forces against every anti-state element. We will defeat this menace with unity, courage, and unwavering resolve, and take the fight against terrorism to its logical end.”