INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
PESHAWAR, JANUARY 31The death toll from previous day's suicide bombing at a mosque in northwest Pakistan on Tuesday
jumped to 74 after rescuers retrieved 15 more bodies from the rubble, police and rescue official said.
20, wounds 96 at mosque in NW Pakistan
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to 24, 9 more missing
Bilal Faizi, the chief
rescue official, said they were still removing the rubble after the mosque's roof caved following the attack.
He said the
bombing in the northwestern city of Peshawar also wounded more than 150 people
It was not clear how the bomber was able to slip into the walled compound in a high-security zone with other government buildings.Also, on
Tuesday mourners were burying the bombing victims at different graveyards in Peshawar and elsewhere.Sarbakaf Mohmand, a commander for the
Pakistani Taliban, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Twitter.But hours
later, TTP spokesperson Mohammad Khurasani distanced the group from the bombing, saying it was not its policy to target mosques, seminaries
and religious places, adding that those taking part in such acts could face punitive action under TTP's policy
His statement did not address why a TTP commander had claimed responsibility for the bombing."The sheer scale of the human tragedy is
This is no less than an attack on Pakistan," tweeted Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, who visited the wounded in Peshawar and vowed "stern
action" against those behind the bombing
He expressed his condolences to families of the victims, saying their pain "cannot be described in words."Pakistan, which is mostly Sunni
Muslim, has seen a surge in militant attacks since November, when the Pakistani Taliban ended their cease-fire with government
forces.Earlier this month, the Pakistani Taliban claimed one of its members shot and killed two intelligence officers, including the
director of the counterterrorism wing of the country's military-based spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence
Security officials said Monday the gunman was traced and killed in a shootout in the northwest near the Afghan border.The TTP is separate
from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban
The TTP has waged an insurgency in Pakistan in the past 15 years, seeking stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of its members
in government custody and a reduction in the Pakistani military presence in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province it has long used as its
base.Monday's assault on a Sunni mosque inside the police facility was one of the deadliest attacks on security forces in recent years.More
than 300 worshippers were praying in the mosque, with more approaching, when the bomber set off his explosives vest
Many were injured when the roof came down, according to Zafar Khan, a police officer, and rescuers had to remove mounds of debris to reach
worshippers still trapped under the rubble.Meena Gul, who was in the mosque when the bomb went off, said he doesn't know how he survived
The 38-year-old police officer said he heard cries and screams after the blast.Peshawar is the capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where
the Pakistani Taliban have a strong presence, and the city has been the scene of frequent militant attacks.The Afghan Taliban seized power
in neighboring Afghanistan in August 2021 as U.S
and NATO troops pulled out of the country after 20 years of war.The Pakistani government's truce with the TTP ended as the country was still
contending with unprecedented flooding that killed 1,739 people, destroyed more than 2 million homes, and at one point submerged as much as
a third of the country.022.Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry said 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" and condemned attacks on worshippers as contrary to the
teachings of Islam.Condemnations also came from the Saudi Embassy in Islamabad, as well as the U.S
Embassy, adding that "The United States stands with Pakistan in condemning all forms of terrorism."UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
called the bombing "particularly abhorrent" for targeting a place of worship, U.N
spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.Cash-strapped Pakistan faces a severe economic crisis and is seeking a crucial installment of $1.1 billion
from the International Monetary Fund - part of its $6 billion bailout package - to avoid default
Talks with the IMF on reviving the bailout have stalled in the past months.Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan called the bombing a
"terrorist suicide attack." He 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."Sharif's
government came to power in April after Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in Parliament
Khan has since campaigned for early elections, claiming his ouster was illegal and part of a plot backed by the United States
Washington and Sharif dismiss Khan's claims.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com