Bomb rips through fruit and vegetable market on outskirts of Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing at least 18 and injuring dozens

This article is more than 6 years old

This article is more than 6 years old

A bomb has ripped through a fruit and vegetable market on the outskirts of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, killing at least 21 people and leaving dozens more wounded.



The massive blast on Wednesday was the latest attack to shake Pakistan, even as government negotiations with the Taliban pick up pace in an attempt by the authorities to resolve years of deadly fighting that has killed thousands of people in the north-west of the country.

The bomb exploded as morning shoppers were buying supplies at the market. The power of the blast sent cartons of fruit and vegetables flying. Police quickly cordoned off the scene, which was littered with fruit, shoes, and prayer caps. Blood stained the ground in many areas.

“I saw body parts flying in the air,” said one of the fruit traders, Afzal Khan. “People were dying. People were crying. People were running.”

The dead and the wounded were taken to nearby hospitals. Nineteen bodies were taken to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. The hospital was also treating 56 people who were wounded in the bombing. Two bodies and 31 wounded were taken to Holy Family Hospital in the nearby city of Rawalpindi.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, and the Pakistani Taliban in a statement emailed to reporters denied responsibility for the attack. The militant group said it was abiding by a previously agreed ceasefire.

Police and officers from the bomb disposal squad were scanning the area for more devices. The approximately 5kg of explosives were hidden in a fruit carton, said a police official, Yasin Malik.

The market is located near a makeshift camp for people displaced from fighting in Pakistan’s north-west, as well as refugees from Afghanistan. It is also next to a supermarket that sells food and household items to the capital’s middle-classes.

While large bombings happen frequently in Pakistani cities such as the north-weste city of Peshawar or the southern port city of Karachi, they are relatively rare in the capital, which is home to diplomats, generals and top government officials.

For Islamabad, it was the deadliest attack since 3 March when a blast in a court complex killed 11 people. That suicide attack was claimed by a little-known splinter group called Ahrar-ul-Hind.

Attacks have continued even as the negotiations between the government and the Taliban have picked up pace, leading to questions about whether the militant group is in full control of various factions that could be behind the attacks.

Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, a lawmaker from the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-N party, said it was difficult to say which group was behind the explosion until police completed their investigation.

Asked what the intended target was, he said: “I think peace in Pakistan is the target.”