More than 60 dead, mostly police, in Pakistan mosque explosion

More than 60 people, most of them police officers, were killed on Monday in a blast at a mosque in a highly sensitive Pakistani police station, prompting the government to put the country on high alert.

The attack took place during the afternoon shift in the provincial capital of Peshawar, close to former tribal areas along the Afghan border, where militancy is steadily rising.

A frantic rescue mission was underway at the mosque last night, an entire wall and part of the roof of which were blown away by the suspected suicide bomber.

“Many police officers are buried under the rubble,” said Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated that between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers.

“Attempts are being made to get them out safely,” he added.

Bloodied survivors emerged from the wreckage limping as the bodies were taken away in ambulances.

“It is an emergency,” Muhammad Asim Khan, a spokesman for the main hospital in Peshawar, told AFP.

The death toll continued to rise as more bodies were recovered from the rubble, rising to 61 dead and more than 150 injured.

As darkness fell, several men were still trapped in the wreckage, visible through cracks in the concrete.

“We gave them oxygen so they don’t have breathing problems,” said Bilal Ahmad Faizi, a spokesman for rescue organization 1122.

At least 20 of the slain police officers were later buried after a prayer ceremony with coffins lined up in rows and draped in the Pakistani flag.

They were buried with a guard of honor, a police official told AFP.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, while the security situation in the country is deteriorating.

The Peshawar Police Headquarters is located in one of the most heavily controlled areas of the city, housing intelligence and counter-terrorism offices and adjacent to the regional secretariat.

Provinces across the country announced they were on high alert following the blast, with checkpoints heightened and additional security forces, while in the capital Islamabad, snipers were deployed on buildings and at access points to the city.

“Terrorists want to instill fear by attacking those who are fulfilling the duty of defending Pakistan,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement.

Officers said the blast came from the second row of believers, while investigators investigated the possibility of a suicide bombing.

Shahid Ali, a police officer who survived, said the explosion happened seconds after the imam started praying.

“I saw black smoke rising into the sky. I ran out to save my life,” the 47-year-old told AFP.

“The screams of the people still echo in my head.”

The drastic security breach occurred on the day United Arab Emirates (UAE) President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was due to visit Islamabad, though the trip was canceled at the last minute due to inclement weather.

Pakistan is also preparing to receive a delegation from the International Monetary Fund on Tuesday as it works to release a vital bailout loan to avoid imminent bankruptcy.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday condemned the blast as “abhorrent” and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed his condolences for the “horrific attack”.

AFP