Read More Atheist Republic On January 30th, 2023, Monday, an Islamist suicide bombing took place inside a mosque in Peshawar. According to the police and rescue officials, 15 more bodies were retrieved from the rubble. The death toll of the incident is now at 100. Chief rescue official Bilal Faizi said they haven’t completely removed the debris yet, as the mosque’s roof collapsed shortly after the attack.
He also said that the bombing in the northwest Pakistan mosque wounded over 200 people. It is unknown how the perpetrator could bypass the high-security compound without being detected.
The next day, mourners buried the victims of the suicide bombing in different graveyards.
In a Twitter post, Sarbakaf Mohmand, one of the commanders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the bombing. However, hours later, the main TTP group, via its spokesperson, denied involvement in the attack and said that targeting mosques, seminaries, and religious places is not in its policies. It also mentioned that those who participate in these acts could be punished.
Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif went to the wounded Peshawar. He then grieved for the victims and expressed his condolences to their families. He said that their pain is something that “cannot be described in words.”
After visiting Peshawar, the Prime Minister posted on Twitter stating, “The sheer scale of the human tragedy is unimaginable. This is no less than an attack on Pakistan,” and promised that “stern actions” would be taken against those who are responsible for the bombing.
An increase in the number of militant attacks can be seen in Pakistan after the Pakistani Taliban ended their ceasefire with the government forces last November. Last month, the Pakistani Taliban admitted to killing two intelligence officers.
Waging an insurgency in Pakistan for 15 years, the demands of the TTP are; to strongly enforce the country’s Islamic laws, release its members from government custody, and reduce Pakistani military presence in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which is used for its base.
The attack on Monday was one of the deadliest attacks on security forces. More than 300 worshippers were inside the mosque praying when the bomb was set off. When the roof collapsed, many were injured and trapped under the debris. Meena Gul was one of the few lucky ones to leave unscathed after the bomb went off.
The Foreign Ministry of Afghanistan condemned the attack on the worshippers. The ministry stated in a statement that it was “saddened to learn that numerous people lost their lives and many others were injured by an explosion at a mosque in Peshawar.”
Both the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad and the U.S. Embassy also condemned the attack and added, “The United States stands with Pakistan in condemning all forms of terrorism.”
Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, tweeted, “My prayers & condolences go to victims families. It is imperative we improve our intelligence gathering & properly equip our police forces to combat the growing threat of terrorism.”