Information Minister says terrorists attacked weak points after securing difficult targets
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Saturday denounced the perpetrators of the Tarlai imambargah suicide attack as “Khawarij”, and vowed that the state would “make the earth shrink” for anyone who targets innocent civilians.
According to authorities and hospital officials, at least 32 people were killed and around 169 injured when a suicide bomber attacked Imambangah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers. The blast occurred as worshipers gathered for jumma prayers and was accompanied by explosions and gunshots.
The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
Addressing a joint press conference at Idara Minhaj-ul-Hussain along with religious leaders including Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Tarar said preliminary investigations indicated that the attack was planned from outside the country.
“According to our investigations, the perpetrator was trained in Afghanistan,” Tarar said, urging the neighboring Taliban government to ensure that its territory is not used as a launching pad for attacks against Pakistan.
Also read: Four Daesh facilitators and mastermind arrested in Imambagah suicide attack in Islamabad
Tarar said terrorists had changed tactics as security around city centers and other “hard targets” had become impenetrable. “When the center becomes safe, they start attacking easy targets on the outskirts,” he told reporters.
He said one of those killed in the attack was a relative of Islamabad Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi. “We will account for every drop of blood spilled,” Tarar said.
Asked if the attack pointed to an intelligence failure, the minister rejected the claim that failures at the center were solely responsible and said the terrorists’ change in attack strategy was a key factor.
Regarding cross-border threats, Tarar repeated that evidence showed that planning and training often originated across the border and called on Pakistan’s neighbor to take action. “We hope that the neighboring authorities will prevent their territory from being used against Pakistan,” he said.
Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered tighter security at all places of worship across the country, adding that Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi was personally monitoring the measures.
To counter extremist narratives, he announced the formation of a Paigham-e-Aman (Message of Peace) committee comprising representatives of the Sunni and Shia communities, as well as Christian, Hindu and Sikh minorities.
Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar described the attack as part of a broader conspiracy aimed at undermining Pakistan’s stability and economic progress. “This is a conspiracy against the state,” he said, adding that the country had seen the martyrdom of thousands of soldiers in 2025.
Akbar also called for stricter oversight of media platforms to curb the spread of inflammatory and sectarian content.
The press conference ended with Tarar reciting verses by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, which he said symbolized the nation’s resilience in the face of “the lightning of calamity.” Authorities said investigations into the attack are ongoing and more updates will be shared as they emerge.
