On Monday, a massive suicide attack in a crowded mosque in Pakistan’s Peshawar killed at least 59 people and injured 157 others. The blast was apparently targeted at police personnel, as 300 to 400 of them were present in the area at the time of the blast. The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban (TTP) claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan’s daily newspaper, Dawn, reported, “This was the latest attack targeting police in this northwestern city where Islamist militants remain active.” The blast was described as a suicide attack by Prime Minister Shebaz and Sharif. In a statement issued later in the day, Sharif strongly condemned the blast and said that the attackers behind the incident “have nothing to do with Islam.” “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan,” he said. The blast took place in the mosque located in the Police Lines area of Peshawar during afternoon prayers. Security officials said that the suicide attacker was present in the front row during the prayers when he exploded himself, as per local media reports. The injured were taken to the Lady Reading Hospital in Peshawar for treatment. Peshawar Commissioner Riaz Mehsood said a rescue operation was under way inside the mosque as a number of people were buried under the rubble. “An emergency has been declared at hospitals across the city, and injured persons are being provided the best medical facilities,” the senior official said, adding that those who were injured in the blast are reportedly in critical condition. Speaking to the media, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that the roof of the mosque collapsed after the blast. “A number of jawans are still stuck under the rubble and rescuers are trying to pull them out.” He said the main hall of the mosque which had a capacity of 250 to 300 people, had collapsed but the rest of the building was still intact.
