A powerful explosion tore through the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra in the Tarlai Kalan area of Islamabad on Friday afternoon, leaving the city in shock and triggering a large-scale emergency response by law-enforcement and rescue teams.
The blast has left at least 12 people dead and dozens more injured, authorities and local news outlets reported, in what preliminary assessments suggest was a suicide bombing targeting the Imam Bargah.
The blast occurred in the afternoon near the main gate of the Imam Bargah, when worshippers were present at the site. Police and rescue teams arrived swiftly at the scene following the explosion, while emergency services across federal capital hospitals – including Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Polyclinic, and CDA Hospital – were placed on high alert to treat the wounded.
Casualties and Emergency Response
According to district administration officials cited by Express.pk, the explosion at the Imam Bargah gate claimed 12 lives and left more than 80 people injured, with several in critical condition being treated in hospital emergency wards.
Local police confirmed that emergency protocols were activated immediately after the blast, with ambulances transporting injured victims to medical facilities. Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police reportedly ordered heightened alert and emergency operations citywide. Rescue teams and law enforcement personnel secured the area to allow medical and forensic operations to proceed.
Nature Of The Attack And Initial Investigations
Initial on-scene reports indicate that a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the entrance of the Imam Bargah, according to circulating accounts and local security sources. Eyewitnesses described a loud explosion that caused extensive structural damage to the gate and surrounding buildings, breaking windows and scattering debris across nearby streets.
Security officials suggest that alert guards stationed at the gate may have prevented the attacker from entering the main prayer hall, potentially averting even greater casualties at a time when worshippers were present. Police have cordoned off the site and begun preliminary investigations, including collecting forensic evidence and reviewing CCTV footage.
While no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack, the bombing has raised alarm over rising sectarian tensions and militant threats in Pakistan’s capital, which has experienced attacks on religious and public sites in the past. Authorities have urged restraint and calm among the public while promising a thorough investigation.
This is a developing story.
News Sources: Express Tribune, DAWN News, and Times Of Islamabad.
