- At least 60 people have been killed in a suspected attack on a mosque in Pakistan.
- A police spokesman also told the German Press Agency that around 150 people were injured – several of whom were taken to hospitals in critical condition.
- The explosion happened during midday prayers in the city of Peshawar in the north-west of the country in a high-security zone.
There are many police buildings in the area. Authorities assume a suicide attack. At first no one acknowledged it. At the end of last year, however, the Pakistani Taliban – which operate independently of the Islamist Taliban government in neighboring Afghanistan – canceled a ceasefire with the government in Islamabad.
Since then, they have claimed responsibility for several attacks. In Pakistan, the vast majority of the population of more than 230 million people is Muslim. About two million people live in the city of Peshawar.
UN condemns attack
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the attack during a visit to a local hospital. “Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who have a duty to defend Pakistan,” he said. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah announced an investigation.
The United Nations has condemned the suicide attack “in the strongest possible terms”. “It is particularly despicable that such an attack took place in a place of worship,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres. Freedom of religion, freedom of belief and the ability to worship in peace are fundamental human rights.