Moments after a devastating bombing at Lal Shahbaz Qalander shrine in Sehwan, Sindh, the Pakistan military issued a strongly worded statement to "hostile powers", saying it will respond to such attacks.

In a short message posted to Twitter, Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor said, "Recent terrorist acts are being executed on directions from hostile powers and from sanctuaries in Afghanistan. We shall defend and respond."

"Each drop of the nation's blood shall be revenged, and revenged immediately. No more restraint for anyone," the army chief was quoted as saying.

He added that Chief of Army Staff Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa has appealed for "calm".

"Your security forces shall not allow hostile powers to succeed. We stand for our nation," Ghafoor quoted COAS Bajwa as saying.

At least 80 people were killed and scores injured in a suicide attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar in Sehwan on Thursday evening. The attack is the fourth in a string of a shocking wave of militancy across the country, with Lahore, Quetta and Mohmand Agency struck in the last four days.

PM condemns attack

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said that an attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is an attack on the progressive and inclusive future of Pakistan.

"The Sufi people predate Pakistan's history, and played an important part in the struggle for its formation," he said.

"An attack on them is a direct threat to Jinnah's Pakistan and will be dealt as such," the PM was quoted as saying in a statement released by his media office in Islamabad.

Sindh Governor Mohammad Zubair, in his message of solidairty, said, "Sindh is a land of the Sufis. The terrorists have targeted the devotees to achieve their nefarious designs."

"This attack tantamounts to attack on the entire nation."

Opinion

Editorial

Barren reforms
17 Jul, 2026

Barren reforms

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s assertion that agriculture and livestock hold the key to Pakistan’s quick...
Dumbing down?
17 Jul, 2026

Dumbing down?

THE awesome power of generative AI has raised concerns in academic and scientific circles about the impact the...
Eyeing the Margallas
17 Jul, 2026

Eyeing the Margallas

AS Pakistan battles a variety of climate crises, state institutions must do all possible to defend critical...
AJK violence
Updated 16 Jul, 2026

AJK violence

Violent confrontations have claimed some 30 lives of both security personnel and protesters since last month.
Deadly lapses
16 Jul, 2026

Deadly lapses

PAKISTAN has investigated too many HIV outbreaks over the past decade to still be surprised by the causes. The ...
Doomed tax initiative
16 Jul, 2026

Doomed tax initiative

THE FBR’s draft simplified tax regime for small shopkeepers is the latest in a long line of attempts to persuade...