ISTANBUL

Türkiye on Friday condemned a suicide bombing targeting a mosque in the capital, Islamabad, during weekly prayers, expressing solidarity with Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

In a written statement on the Turkish social media platform NSosyal, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the terrorist attack carried out today against a mosque during Friday prayers in Islamabad.”

The statement extended condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Pakistan, wishing mercy upon the victims. It also said Türkiye would continue to stand in solidarity with Pakistan in its counterterrorism efforts.

According to Pakistani authorities, at least 31 people were killed and more than 169 others injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a mosque in Islamabad during Friday prayers. The explosion hit the Imambargah Mosque, a Shia Muslim place of worship in Islamabad's Shehzad Town area.

Mosharraf Zaidi, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's spokesman, said the attack at the Imambargah in Islamabad "is only the latest in a series of murderous terrorist attacks orchestrated by India."

"India's terrorist proxies will neither slow down economic recovery, nor divide Pakistani hearts, nor undermine Pakistan's growing diplomatic capital," Zaidi stated on X. New Delhi was yet to react to the allegations made by Islamabad.