Information Minister says terrorists targeted soft spots after hard targets secured
Federal Minister for Information and Radio Attaullah Tarar on Saturday condemned the perpetrators of the Tarlai imambargah suicide attack as “Khawarij” and vowed that the state would “make the country shrink” for anyone who attacks innocent civilians.
At least 32 people were killed and around 169 others injured when a suicide bomber struck Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra during Friday prayers, according to authorities and hospital officials. The blast occurred as worshipers gathered for Jumma prayers and was accompanied by explosions and gunfire.
The attack was the deadliest in Islamabad in more than a decade and the deadliest nationwide since the Peshawar mosque bombing in January 2023.
Speaking at a joint press conference at Idara Minhaj-ul-Hussain along with religious leaders including Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar, Tarar said preliminary investigations indicated that the attack was planned outside the country.
“According to our investigations, the perpetrator was trained in Afghanistan,” Tarar said, calling on the neighboring Taliban government to ensure that its soil is not used as a launching pad for attacks against Pakistan.
Also read: Four facilitators, Daesh mastermind held in Islamabad imambargah suicide attack
Tarar said terrorists had changed tactics as security around city centers and other “hard targets” had become impenetrable. “When the center becomes secure, they start attacking soft targets on the outskirts,” he told reporters.
He said one of those killed in the attack was a relative of Islamabad’s Inspector General of Police Ali Nasir Rizvi. “We will account for every drop of blood that is shed,” Tarar said.
Asked if the attack pointed to an intelligence failure, the minister dismissed claims that errors at the center were solely responsible, saying the shift in terrorists’ targeting strategy was a key factor.
On cross-border threats, Tarar reiterated that evidence showed that planning and training often came across the border and urged Pakistan’s neighbor to act. “We expect neighboring authorities to prevent their territory from being used against Pakistan,” he said.
Tarar said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had ordered tighter security at all places of worship across the country, adding that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was personally monitoring the measures.
To counter extremist narratives, he announced the formation of a Paigham-e-Aman (Message of Peace) committee comprising representatives from Sunni and Shia communities as well as Christian, Hindu and Sikh minorities.
Allama Muhammad Hussain Akbar described the attack as part of a wider conspiracy aimed at undermining Pakistan’s stability and economic progress. “This is a conspiracy against the state,” he said, adding that the country had seen the martyrdom of thousands of soldiers by 2025.
Akbar also called for stricter oversight of media platforms to curb the spread of inflammatory and sectarian content.
The press conference ended with Tarar reciting verses by Nawabzada Nasrullah Khan, which he said symbolized the nation’s resilience to the “lightning of disaster”. Authorities said the investigation into the attack is ongoing and that additional updates will be shared as they emerge.
