Pakistan mosque blast toll rises to 100, India condemns – The Dispatch

PESHAWAR/NEW DELHI: The loss of life toll from the suicide blast rose to a minimum of 100 on Tuesday after rescue staff retrieved extra our bodies from the particles of the devastated mosque inside a serious police facility in Pakistan’s northwestern Peshawar metropolis.

India on Tuesday strongly condemned the phobia assault. Exterior Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi stated India prolonged its deep condolences to households of the victims of Monday’s assault.

“India extends its deep condolences to the households of the victims of the phobia assault in Peshawar yesterday. We strongly condemn this assault, which has taken the lives of so many individuals,” Bagchi tweeted.

Based on safety officers, the suicide bomber who was current within the entrance row throughout the Zuhr (afternoon) prayers on Monday blew himself up, inflicting the roof to break down on the worshippers.

Girl Studying Hospital (LRH) spokesperson Mohammad Asim stated that 100 our bodies had been dropped at the medical facility.

Asim stated 53 injured have been presently being handled whereas seven had been admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). He stated that a lot of the injured have been out of hazard.

Many of the victims have been policemen. At the least a deputy superintendent of police, 5 sub-inspectors and the mosque’s prayer chief Maulana Sahibzada Noorul Amin have been among the many useless.

The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), referred to as the Pakistani Taliban, claimed duty for the suicide assault, saying it was a part of a revenge assault for slain TTP commander Umar Khalid Khurasani who was killed in Afghanistan in August final.

Based on the Police Management Room Peshawar, greater than two-hundred injured have been dropped at the Girl Studying hospital.

Capital Metropolis Police Officer, Peshawar (CCPO) Ejaz Khan advised Geo TV that the top of the suspected suicide bomber was recovered from the blast web site.

The suspected bomber was recognized as 37-year-old Mohammed Ayaz son of Salim Khan from Mohmand company.

“It’s attainable that the attacker was already current within the Police Traces earlier than the blast and that he might have used an official car [to enter],” he stated. “(The) CTD is investigating the case,” he stated.

He stated many policemen are nonetheless trapped below the rubble.

“Near 300-400 policemen normally provide prayer on the Zuhr time. If a blast has taken place inside police strains then it’s a safety lapse however an investigation into the matter can reveal additional,” he stated.

The bomber entered the extremely secured mosque inside police strains the place 4 layers of safety have been in place.

Provincial Police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari stated they’re investigating the blast and the way the bomber entered the extremely fortified mosque within the Police Traces space.

He expressed the apprehensions that the bomber may need been residing within the police strains earlier than the blast as there are household quarters too contained in the police strains.

Ansari admitted grave safety lapses by the police and ordered a complete investigation into the blast.

Speaking to the media right here Tuesday, he stated that the search course of for entrance to police strains was restricted solely to the principle gate of the police strains.

He stated 10-12 kg explosives have been used within the blast. Explosives in elements shifted to police strains as development actions are in progress as of late in police strains.

The headquarters of the Peshawar Police, Counter-Terrorism Division (CTD), Frontier Reserve Police (FRP), Elite Power and telecommunications division are additionally positioned close to the blast web site.

A high-level investigation committee has been set as much as look into the safety lapses.

A preliminary investigation report of the blast has been despatched to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

In the meantime, funeral prayers for six policemen, together with deputy superintendent of police, have been provided earlier Tuesday on the Police Traces space.

On Monday evening, collective funeral prayers for 27 policemen have been provided in Police Traces space.

President Arif Alvi has condemned the assault.

“I strongly condemn the heinous & cowardly blast that has taken place in Peshawar mosque. The perpetrators shall be discovered and punished. Condolences to households who’ve misplaced an harmless member & prayers for the injured. Terrorism should be buried perpetually,” Alvi tweeted.

Prime Minister Shehbaz stated the blast contained in the mosque proves that these concerned within the assault have “nothing to do with Islam.”

“These terrorists try to instil worry by concentrating on those that carry out the responsibility of defending Pakistan,” he stated, assuring the people who the coalition authorities will take strict motion in opposition to these concerned within the assault.

PTI Chairman and ex-premier Imran Khan strongly condemned the terrorist assault within the Peshawar mosque.

Final 12 months, an identical assault inside a Shia mosque within the Kocha Risaldar space within the metropolis killed 63 folks.

The TTP, arrange as an umbrella group of a number of militant outfits in 2007, referred to as off a ceasefire with the federal authorities and ordered its militants to stage terrorist assaults throughout the nation.

The group, which is believed to be near al-Qaeda, has been blamed for a number of lethal assaults throughout Pakistan, together with an assault on military headquarters in 2009, assaults on navy bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Resort in Islamabad.

In 2014, the Pakistani Taliban stormed the Military Public Faculty (APS) within the northwestern metropolis of Peshawar, killing a minimum of 150 folks, together with 131 college students. The assault despatched shockwaves the world over and was broadly condemned.