Pakistani rescuers and witnesses say a massive bomb has ripped through a Shiite mosque on the outskirts of the capital, Islamabad, killing at least 31 people and wounding dozens of worshippers

A bombing at a Shiite mosque on Islamabad’s outskirts kills at least 36 and wounds dozens

February 6, 2026 at 5:25 a.m. EST

Former finance minister Miftah Ismail termed the incident “absolutely horrendous” and wondered how can anyone bomb Friday prayers in a mosque”.

The blast comes days after Balochistan witnessed deadly attacks, carried out by the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which claimed the lives of 36 innocent civilians, including women and children, along with 22 security and law enforcement personnel.

Terrorists struck civilians in Quetta, Mastung, Nushki, Dalbandin, Kharan, Panjgur, Tump, Gwadar, and Pasni on January 31.

A day earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said, security forces concluded Operation Raddul Fitna 1, eliminating at least 216 terrorists in various coordinated engagements and clearance operations.

The attacks, since then, have drawn condemnations from countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkiye, Iran, the UAE, France, Canada, the European Union, the OIC, the UNSC and others.

Expanding on the counterterror operations, the military’s media wing said that operations were initiated in Panjgur and the outskirts of Harnai district on January 29, 2026, after credible and verified intelligence confirmed the presence of terrorist elements posing an imminent threat to the local public.

“During this phase, security forces undertook operations against identified terrorist hideouts, resulting in the elimination of 41 terrorists affiliated with Indian proxy networks.”

“Subsequently, aggressive and steadfast responses by security forces effectively thwarted the desperate attacks of Fitna al-Hindustan to destabilise the peace of Balochistan,” remarked the ISPR, adding that as a sequel to these, a broader series of intelligence-based operations were launched in multiple areas to dismantle terrorist sleeper cells through sustained combing and sanitisation operations.