Pakistan Mosque blast Live Updates: 63 killed, 150 hurt at mosque in Pakistan's Peshawar; Taliban claims responsibility

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Caretaker Chief Minister Muhammad Azam Khan announced a day of mourning in the province on Tuesday following the attack. The national flag will be at half-mast across the province, he said, adding, "The government shares the grief of the martyrs' families."

Monday's attack broke a period of relative calm in Peshawar, the capital of the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province in northwestern Pakistan. The northwest has been the site of several attacks on police and military targets in recent months, especially in areas that straddle the border with Afghanistan, and the Pakistani Taliban have claimed responsibility for them.

Death toll in Peshawar mosque suicide blast rises to 63, 150 injured, reports Pakistan's Geo News

Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Peshawar Muhammad Ijaz Khan said 61 people have been killed in the blast. He said that 300 to 400 police officials were present in the area at the time of the blast. "It is apparent that a security lapse occurred," he told the media. (PTI)

Pakistan bomb blast: Toll rises to 61

Peshawar attack: Taking to Twitter after his visit, PM Shehbaz Sharif said: “Just returned from Peshawar. The sheer scale of the human tragedy is unimaginable."

“This is no less than an attack on Pakistan. The nation is overwhelmed by a deep sense of grief. I have no doubt terrorism is our foremost national security challenge,” he said.

Pakistan blast: Speaking to the media, Peshawar Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Muhammad Ijaz Khan said that the roof of the mosque collapsed after the blast. “A number of jawans are still stuck under the rubble and rescuers are trying to pull them out.”

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has appealed to the people for blood donations for the injured in the terrorist attack in Peshawar today.

Pakistan mosque blast: The EU strongly condemned today's attack against worshippers in a mosque in Peshawar.

We mourn the loss of lives and wish quick recovery to all the injured. EU stands with Pakistan against terrorism. There is no space for hatred and extremism in our societies: EU

Pakistan blast: A brother of the slain commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Umar Khalid Khurasani claimed that the suicide blast was part of the revenge attack for his brother who was killed last August in Afghanistan.

Taliban Pakistan attack: Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif traveled to Peshawar and visited the wounded at the hospital.

His office said he would receive a briefing about the security situation in the northwest.

Peshawar mosque blast: The militant group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP, has waged an insurgency in Pakistan over the past 15 years. It seeks the stricter enforcement of Islamic laws, the release of their members who are in government custody and a reduction in the Pakistani military presence in areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that it has longed used as its base.

Peshawar attack: A frantic rescue mission is underway at the mosque, which had an entire wall and some of its roof blown out by the force of the blast.

"Many policemen are buried under the rubble," said Peshawar police chief Muhammad Ijaz Khan, who estimated between 300 and 400 officers usually attended prayers at the mosque. "Efforts are being made to get them out safely," he said.Bloodied survivors emerged limping from the wreckage, while bodies were ferried away in ambulances as the rescue operation continued.

Pakistan blast: Former prime minister Imran Khan strongly condemned the terrorist attack in the mosque.

"My prayers and 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," the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf tweeted.

Pakistan's rugged northwestern region has long been a hive of militant activity, a place where successive governments have struggled to establish a writ.

Last March, an Islamic State suicide bomber attacked a minority Shiite mosque in Peshawar, killing 64 people in Pakistan's deadliest terror attack since 2018.

Blast in Pakistan: Shahid Ali, a policeman who survived, said the explosion took place seconds after the imam started prayers.

"I saw black smoke rising to the sky. I ran out to save my life," the 47-year-old told AFP.

Pakistan bomb blast: Security has been beefed up in other major cities, including Islamabad, after the Peshawar blast. In Islamabad, security at all entry and exit points of the capital city has been increased and snipers have been deployed at "important points and buildings".

Peshawar mosque blast: An emergency has been declared in the hospitals of Peshawar.

Pakistan blast: Foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari also condemned the attack, saying "terrorist incidents before the local and general elections were meaningful".

Pakistan mosque blast: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, saying the attackers behind the incident "have nothing to do with Islam".

"Terrorists want to create fear by targeting those who perform the duty of defending Pakistan," he said and vowed that the sacrifices of the blast victims will not go in vain. "The entire nation is standing united against the menace of terrorism."

Peshawar blast: A brother of the slain commander of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) Umar Khalid Khurasani claimed that the suicide attack was part of the revenge attack for his brother who was killed last August in Afghanistan.

The toll has risen to 46

The police compound is located in a high-security zone in Peshawar, along with several government buildings, and it was unclear how the bomber managed to penetrate so deep inside the zone unnoticed.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the bombing, said Saddique Khan, a senior police official in Peshawar, but the Pakistani Taliban have been blamed in similar suicide attacks in the past.

Most of the casualties were policemen and police officers — the targeted mosque is located within a sprawling compound, which also serves as the city's police headquarters. Police said between 300 to 350 worshipers were inside the mosque when the bomber detonated his explosives.

The bombing drew nationwide condemnation from opposition political parties and government officials. Ghulam Ali, the provincial governor in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where Peshawar is the capital, said there were fears the death toll could rise even further.

A suicide bomber struck Monday inside a mosque within a police compound in the northwestern Pakistani city of Peshawar, killing at least 28 people and wounding as many as 150 worshippers, most of them policemen, officials said.