Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi addresses a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday. —SCREEN CAPTURE
Bahrain’s Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa phoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday and strongly condemned the suicide blast at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad.
The Bahraini minister expressed his deep sorrow for the loss of precious lives and conveyed his condolences to the families of the martyrs, according to an official statement. He expressed his deepest condolences to those affected by the attack.
A devastating suicide attack ripped through a crowded Imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers on February 6, leaving at least 32 worshipers martyred and 169 others injured in one of the deadliest attacks the federal capital has witnessed in recent years, officials said.
The attacker detonated explosives inside Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra, on the outskirts of the city, while hundreds of people had gathered to pray. The powerful explosion, heard hundreds of meters away, sent shockwaves through nearby neighborhoods, causing panic among worshipers who rushed to escape.
“An attack on a mosque is an attack against humanity,” Al Khalifa said, adding that Bahrain condemns terrorism in all its forms.
He said Bahrain has always supported Pakistan and will continue to support it, paying tribute to Pakistan’s sacrifices in the fight against terrorism and saying they were viewed with great respect.
Naqvi thanked his Bahraini counterpart for expressing solidarity with the victims and said Bahrain had supported Pakistan in every trying moment.
“Pakistan has made immense sacrifices to make the world safer,” Naqvi said, urging the international community to stand shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan in the fight against terrorism.
He added that the time had come for coordinated and effective global action against terrorism.
