ISLAMABAD: Pakistani religious scholars on Sunday condemned last week’s suicide bombing at a mosque in the federal capital of Islamabad, saying the attack was contrary to Islamic teachings.
At least 32 people were killed and over 150 others sustained injuries in the blast that targeted Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque in the Tarlai Kallan area on Islamabad’s outskirts.
The blast occurred during Friday prayers, when mosques around the country are packed with worshippers, with Daesh saying one of its militants had targeted the congregation by detonating an explosive vest.
Religious scholars, at a meeting presided over by Religious Affairs Minister Sardar Muhammad Yousuf, called for patience, piety and mutual empathy to thwart divisive conspiracies of the enemy.
“The suicide attack during Friday prayers in Islamabad was condemned in the strongest terms,” read a joint statement issued after the meeting. “It was clarified that targeting innocent worshippers in places of worship is entirely contrary to Islamic teachings as well as constitutional and ethical principles.”
