A rescue worker collects evidence from the site of a suicide bomb attack at a Shia mosque in Peshawar June 21. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Hussaini Madrassa in the area was the target of the blast. The interior of the madrassa was destroyed. There were around 40 people inside the madrassa at the time of the blast.
The madrassa has the capacity to hold up to 80 people. People inside the madrassa were preparing for Friday prayers at the time of the blast.
A rescue operation was conducted. The injured were shifted to a nearby local hospital and security forces sealed the affected areas.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) Chief Altaf Hussain condemned the attack.
Police sources said the bomber was shot at when he tried to enter the madrassa through the main entrance along with his two accomplices. The bomber managed to enter the madrassa through a second gate and blow himself up, while the other two escaped. The bomber reportedly intended to reach the prayer leader, however, the leader wasn't present at the scene.
The bomber was reportedly 22 years old. Police officials gathered body parts for further investigation.
The Bomb Disposal Squad said that the bomber's vest was packed with six kilogrammes of explosives.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack as yet.
The Jafri Alliance announced a three day mourning against the attack.
COMMENTS (71)
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@Milind:
Very well put, Sir.
When the conflict will finish?
@Aysha M (original version): Please elaborate "With PTI government in place things have gone worse in KPK." How long has PTI served in KPK and how long since these attacks have been happening.
@Ghori - The last time millions were slaughtered in India was when your namesake and other co-religionists from Afghanistan/ME invaded India, butchering Hindus...or in 1971 when Bangladesh became free. According to some of your mullahs one Muslim is equal to 10 Hindus - which probably led you to assign these 'weights' to each Muslim killed and extrapolating it by a factor of 100000.
And I was told liquor is prohibited in Pakistan... You probably gulped the illicit one.
@Nand:
"Your comment wins the most funny and stupid comment on this topic of the day."
And where do I collect my prize? Will the sponsors provide me with the flight tickets as well?
@adnan: i m sure that govt will again talk about peace talks with militants.
Pakistan made billions from war on terror. Pakistan needs these militants to bleed India and terrorize Afghans by playing talibans.
@Water Bottle: So, you are in substantial agreement with everything I said about Modi and RSS slaughtering and raping Muslims, and Indian army's atrocities in Kashmir, except for the bit about "millions" of victims in Kashmir. Let's put that down to my overstatement out of sheer frustration over the unfair maligning of my country. What if I said the victims of your army in Kashmir numbered in the thousands, or even in the hundreds? We would then be in complete agreement, no?
Please don't be fooled by the liberal-secular lamentations you see in ET comment pages. These people, if at all they are Pakistanis, are spineless and hypocrite. Look at the facts--Pakistan was made to exalt Islam and edify Muslims. It is a fact that no one has been arrested and tried, let alone convicted, for the crimes reported here, so it could have been anybody doing the killing. I say the killers, or their controllers, are our enemies who want to bring Pakistan and Islam down. Do you know different? Do you deny the crimes of your people against Muslims?
@Ahmed: Please don’t make this a sunni-shia issue. We know nothing of the incident, to blame it on the other sect. This message is specially for the secular-liberal people, who know nothign of religion yet won’t stop talking about it.
Really you know nothing of it How many more dead shias will it take for you to get to know the perpetrators Please WAKE UP....
The tsunami of PTI's provincial government seems to be on its way to sweep away load-shedding, corruption, terrorism, drones and KPK, well within the promised 90 days.
@Water Bottle: Your comment wins the most funny and stupid comment on this topic of the day.
@Pakistani Ostrich: "taliban brothers and negotiate". Could you all Pakistanis PLEASE make up your minds if they and their off-shoots are really Pakistani brothers or are USA/Isrea;/Raw agents.
Remember just after twelve days of Asssassination the Conspirators would get what they Deserved.
August 5,1988-------------august 17,1988 June 21,2013--------------????????????
@Ghori: Brother, With all the supposed 'slaughters and Genocides', Indian Muslims have a higher life expectancy and higher literacy rate than Pakistani Muslims and their share in India's Population has almost consistently risen vis-a-vis Hindus(whose Population share have fallen about every single decade) after India's independence (now Contrast this with Pakistan where even the numbers of Hindu minority have come down drastically since Independence) .
@Ghori:
"So, according to you, millions of my fellow-countrymen who say more or less the same thing, but don’t have access to comments section of liberal media like ET, are all simply being sarcastic?"
Wow! So you were serious in saying :
“Islam is a religion of peace. No Muslim can ever do such a thing.
If you look east of the border, Hindus under Modi and RSS are raping and slaughtering Muslims. Not to mention Kashmir where nearly 1 million Indian soldiers are daily raping and slaughtering Muslims in the millions. Reports like this malign the image of Pakistan and distract the world community’s attention from the real crimes.”
I'm speechless. Because I have been a s/w engineer for a few years and dealt with finance/tax of westerners which ran into several millions, yet I dare not use the word million when it comes to people (exception is Bengali genocide). And you use the word 'million' so freely w.r.t Kashmir, Indian muslim slaughter....hmmm.
No comments. You win.
@jibran: you really are on the right spot
@Water Bottle: Funny reaction I must say.
So, according to you, millions of my fellow-countrymen who say more or less the same thing, but don't have access to comments section of liberal media like ET, are all simply being sarcastic?
@Ghori:
"Islam is a religion of peace. No Muslim can ever do such a thing.
If you look east of the border, Hindus under Modi and RSS are raping and slaughtering Muslims. Not to mention Kashmir where nearly 1 million Indian soldiers are daily raping and slaughtering Muslims in the millions. Reports like this malign the image of Pakistan and distract the world community’s attention from the real crimes."
Look, most people cannot see your face to find out of you are winking.
Meaning, we don't know if this was sarcasm or a serious commentary. Could you please clarify it?
cute little childeren bleeding. . O God . We aren't humans anymore! PTI you want 'peace talks' with animals on the cost of our blood? My heart is bleeding
Islam is a religion of peace. No Muslim can ever do such a thing.
If you look east of the border, Hindus under Modi and RSS are raping and slaughtering Muslims. Not to mention Kashmir where nearly 1 million Indian soldiers are daily raping and slaughtering Muslims in the millions. Reports like this malign the image of Pakistan and distract the world community's attention from the real crimes.
Do we have a government in KPK?
this is henious. i am an indian with no baggage of partition. i feel forget goverment ,army and all fuedals. i know for a fact that a common pakistani like a common indian loves peace and what matters most for a common man is food twice a day for his family. and its trure for all religon and sects. what i suggest is this should be /must be condemed by sunnis and a common sunni man will without doubt.i suggest my pakistani brothers with my experience i have that hold on to democracy and support love even in worst times. we have been through this cast rivalries. HOLD ON TO DEMOCRACY FOR 25 YEARS , u will come out of it on top. have patience. support truth and peace not rheotric and bollywood style speeches. best of luck .we belieive in you. you will come out of it.. keep hustling common people...!
@Noman: Did u have a dream that it was done by TTP?
People like you are the true supporters of TTP and enemies of Pakistan. I bet even after TTP will claim the responsibility, you will start talking about the good and the bad Talibans. STOP SUPPORTING THE TALIBANS - they are evil.
Does Saudi Arabia consider Shias proper muslims ??
@unbeliever
You need to study about Zia regime and how madrassas mushroomed in his government with the help of USA to prepare the nation for anti-soviet jihad. You must also come across over how Saudi Arabia poured in money to export Wahabbism, fearing Shitte Islam might spread in the region after the Islamic revolution in Iran which it was determined to spread in the region.
@think
It is just easy to blame the United States and ignore the voices that blatantly and proudly claim responsibility of attacks across Pakistan. How can you disregard the statements made by the enemy spokes person like Ehsanullah Ehsan and his leader Hakimullah Masud? Let me spell this out to you that the United States has never supported terrorism. In fact, we have strived for peace in the region for more than a decade now. The people who kill worshipers during Friday prayers are the same who attack our forces and interests. We condemn the attacks on innocent worshippers in Peshawar and urge all to work together to bring about sustained peace in the region.
Abdul Quddus DET-United States Central Command
@baba: Did u have a dream that it was done by TTP?
With current security situation in KPK with silence of PTI and no actions on ground to improve it. for me Naya Pakistan = Gaya Pakistan
Most of the people who comment here are either indian or extremely shameless/hypocrite wannabe liberal. They do not represent the thoughts and feelings of common Pakistanis. Request to Shia and Sunni members here. " Let's not bring our differences here. Look what the west is doing in Syria and other countries (divide and rule). Lets not get into their trap. Have faith in Imran Khan and PTI govt in KPK.
Blasts are taking place everywhere. Minorities are targeted everywhere in Pakistan. Why are you guys blaming PTI!! Even the world's most powerful coalition-Nato could not help it and they have now agreed to talk with Taliban. Thank us(KP), global war on terrorism is being fought here in the region while you rest in relative peace!
@think: all thoughts stop at the conspiracy angle. you are a great thinker. spread your thoughts to help destroy what ever is left !!!
@think. Sunni/Shia enmity existed long before there was a Pakistan - long before there was even a USA. Blaming the American's for this Madrassa massacre is typical conspiracy theory nonsense - long on anti American blather, short on "thinking".
Nobody can trust TTP. So just forget taking with them. Lets use our brave force against them. Actually I think PML-N are playing a wonderful game. Why did they let PTI form the governmen in KPK ? Is the argumentation this ''PTI got most votes in KPK and therefore they should be given the right to form their own government'' I rather think that they gave PTI right to form their own government because PML-N thought that PTI has talked with long toung about that they will solve all pakistanis problems now lets see. So this is a challenge to PTI. I don't think PTI will pass this exame.
We should take Imran Khan with us, sit down with taliban brothers and negotiate. Mean while, generals/kayani should arrange for an another 'war gaming' exercise and declare to the nation that the 'army is ready to face and defeat any internal and external enemies/challenge'. Then the khakis retreat back to running business from their DHAs/cantonments. The citizens should declare that TTPians are not muslims, are funded by foreign agencies. The foreign agencies are more desperate after we(actually khakis, in our best national interest) handed over gwadar and baluchistan to our peaceful all-weather-friend (who BTW forgot us when we had a massive flooding dues to some massively bad 'weather') for almost nothing. After declaring this the awa, should apply for visa to the USA/Canda or Europe but never to our all-weather friend chinese embassy! Relax for couple of days or just a few hour, once terrorists blows-up and many more (all under foreign-hands guidance, of course), start the whole process over again.!
PML-N allies will now cause Havoc in country. The LeJ MPAs and MNAs are responsible for this. People must keep lifting dead bodies and government will keep increasing their taxes etc.
@Aysha M (original version):
You would not have to make your statement if your statement would be true. It has nothing to do flying spaghetti monsters either, is it not?
@B: You are right, nothing done There is no undeclared war in Islam but mullahs are partners in crime, would never issue fatwa against Taliban operations, where they kill civilians off the streetsA
ET, you should close your comments section. You are acting like Saudi Arabia. Can't delete my comments if they aren't abusive, just stating my opinion.
Naya Pakistan = Gaya Pakistan
After successful peace talks, it has been decided by PTI and PMLN to outsource law and order to their militant wings.
@B:
It is just the little excuses people use to dissociate themselves from terrorists who happen to share faith.
Imran Khan will favour peace talks only until his own somebody would be victim
by Ezanius
And still you people are descending into the worse Karachi in hoardes for the last two decades !!!!! Have some gratitude.
hope IK atleast condemns!!! atleast!!
@Aysha M (original version): "They live off warfare, it is their livelihood, nothing to do with Islam". So what is Islam doing to stop them?
PTI keep the negotiation slogan on.....and get the score of corpses
@ezanius: If you are refering to MQM as 'your party' I would just encourage you to recall, how things were between 2002- 2007. My interest is Karachi and its people, I know that MQM has high stakes in Karachi, so I pin my hopes on them. For any other party, if they come to a point where they need to negotiate, Karachi will be the first casualty, interest of Karachi will be readily compromised by all other parties but MQM
They kill us and PTI says talk to them.It seems PTI is supporting them to ruin our lives.They should be killed and eliminated for once from this world.
Its Naya Pakistan of PTI.They used to blame ANP.Now they are saying stop blame game when people are blaming them........
Imran Khan will remain in favour of talks with these beasts until his own loved ones doesn't become a victim
@Aysha M (original version): Really they have gone WORSE? Right. Your intellect inspires me.
Naya KPK not so naya afterall....
i m sure that govt will again talk about peace talks with militants.
Think before talk. It seems that the Americans dont want Peace in Pakistan but are ready to have it in Afghanistan. everytime government try to talk Peace something happens which dont allow it. WHO will benefit from it. neither the taliban or the pk government. then WHO?. foreign elements?
Who they are killing us!!! Do we know who's our enemy? Wake-up Pakistan!!!
@Ahmed: To say that its only a shia-sunni thing would be disingenious and dangerous! The truth is that we as a nation are intolerant and zealous and determined to impose our religious dogma on the society through violence!
@Concerned: They live off warfare, it is their livelihood, nothing to do with Islam
@Aysha M (original version): Things have been even worst in Karachi for more than 2 decades, may be your party could focus there.
They are killing us . They kill Ahmadis . They kill Christians . They kill Hindus and Sikhs . Then they will kill each other .
@Uzair: Coffee and a conversation with Taliban, who kill innocent civilians and attack military establishment and trained personnel.
What is PTI thinking?
Please don't make this a sunni-shia issue. We know nothing of the incident, to blame it on the other sect. This message is specially for the secular-liberal people, who know nothign of religion yet won't stop talking about it.
So what does this madressa have to do with the Drone attacks? Probably helping americans one way or the other? What a shame.
Sad incident...I think we all know the people responsible for the attack even if they take the responsibility or not.
Talk. No no talk to them. Go talk to them. Tea's on me.
With PTI government in place things have gone worse in KPK.
Hope all involved can work together and peace and sanity is restored
More peace overtures by the patriotic Muslims of Pakistan, no doubt we should negotiate with them and they are not our enemies, as Imran Khan so rightly states.
They are killing us ? who cares !! lets have PEACE talks with them.....
Is PTI ruling in KPK?