NEW DELHI: National Conference president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday expressed grief over the suicide bombing at a mosque in Pakistan’s capital. Speaking to reporters in Pampore in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district on Sunday, Abdullah said it was “unfortunate that now blasts are taking place inside mosques as well”. “It shows how far we have gone from Allah. We are treading the path which will lead to hell fire,” he added, as quoted by PTI. The former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister had travelled to Pampore to offer condolences to Mohammad Riyaz Hamadani on the death of his mother when he addressed the media. He said the entire Muslim world was “in chaos and engulfed in violence”. Asked whether Pakistan should be declared a terrorist state, Abdullah declined to comment.The attack took place on Friday when a 32-year-old suicide bomber entered the Imambargah Khadijah-tul-Kubra in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during weekly prayers and detonated explosives. According to Dawn, at least 31 worshippers were initially reported dead and 169 injured. Authorities later said the death toll had risen to 36 as several critically injured victims died in hospital. The Islamic State in Pakistan, an offshoot of Daesh, has claimed responsibility for the bombing. In Jammu and Kashmir, members of the Shia community held candlelight marches to pay tribute to the victims. In Baramulla district, protesters gathered along the Srinagar–Baramulla National Highway in Hanjiwera, raising slogans and condemning the attack.
