Bahrain’s Interior Minister General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa telephoned Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Thursday and strongly condemned the suicide blast at a Shia mosque in Islamabad.
The Bahraini minister expressed deep sorrow over the loss of precious lives and conveyed condolences to the families of the martyrs, according to an official statement. He extended heartfelt sympathies to those affected by the attack.
A devastating suicide bombing tore through a packed Imambargah in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers on February 6, leaving at least 32 worshippers 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 city’s outskirts as hundreds of people had gathered for prayers. The powerful blast, heard hundreds of metres away, sent shockwaves through nearby neighbourhoods, triggering panic as worshippers 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 stood with Pakistan and will continue to stand by 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, saying Bahrain had supported Pakistan in every testing time.
“Pakistan has rendered 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.
