Pakistan: At least 69 killed in suicide attac during Friday prayers

In Pakistan, at least 69 people were killed, and 169 were injured after a suicide bomber blew himself inside a shrine in Islamabad. The explosion occurred at Tarlai Imambargah, situated in the Shehzad Town area of the city.The powerful explosion, which was heard from a far distance, took place at Khadijatul Kubra mosque-cum-imambargah in the Tarlai area of Islamabad, the police said in a statement. The suicide bomber was stopped at the gate of the imambargah, but he detonated himself, police and eyewitnesses said.
Quoting security officials, The Times of Islamabad reported that the attacker appears to have been stopped by alert guards at the entrance, preventing entry into the main hall where worshippers had gathered. The Islamabad Inspector General of Police declared a city-wide emergency while rescue and law-enforcement teams rushed to the scene amid fears of multiple casualties, The Times of Islamabad reported.
The incident occurred less than three months after a suicide blast outside a district and sessions court building in Islamabad on November 11, 2025. Twelve people were killed, and more than 30 were injured in the explosion. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the explosion, but suspicion is likely to fall on militants such as the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Islamic State group, which has been blamed for previous attacks on Shiite worshippers, a minority in the country. 
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack in separate statements and extended condolences to the families of those killed. Zardari said that targeting innocent civilians is a “crime against humanity”, adding that Pakistan stands with the affected families. On the other hand, PM Sharif said he has ordered a full investigation and said that those responsible must be identified and punished.Friday’s attack occurred as Uzbekistan President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who is on an official two-day visit, was attending an event with Sharif.
Pakistan has seen a surge in militant violence in recent months.They have been largely blamed on Baloch separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan, or TTP, which is a separate group, but allied with Afghanistan’s Taliban.