Govt compensates families of victims of Islamabad imambargah attack

Published February 19, 2026
Security forces personnel stand guard as members of the media film from a coordoned area following a deadly explosion at an imambargah, in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 7. — Reuters
Security forces personnel stand guard as members of the media film from a coordoned area following a deadly explosion at an imambargah, in Islamabad, Pakistan, February 7. — Reuters

The government is paying compensation totaling more than Rs190 million to the families of 40 people killed in a suicide bombing at an imambargah in Islamabad this month, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Thursday.

The February 6 attack, claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group, on the outskirts of the capital was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 truck bombing that killed 60 people at the Marriott Hotel.

“Relief cheques have been delivered to the heirs of 36 martyrs belonging to Islamabad,” PMO said in a statement, adding each victim’s family received Rs5m.

Cheques will also be delivered to four families of victims living outside Islamabad, the statement said.

Although officials have not released a final death toll, the statement marked the first official acknowledgement that 40 people were killed in the blast.

On Feb 11, PM Shehbaz had announced compensation for those martyred and injured in the suicide attack while visiting the site of the attack.

Speaking on the occasion, he said, “These terrorists have no religion, and they have crossed all the limits of cruelty.”

The suicide attack occurred during Friday prayers. The last major attack in Islamabad took place in November when a suicide blast outside a court killed 12 people and wounded dozens, the first such incident to hit the capital in nearly three years.


Correction: An earlier version of this story stated that the government was paying compensation totaling more than Rs19 million. It is, in fac,t paying more than Rs190 million in compensation. The error is regretted.

Opinion

Editorial

JAAC ban
07 Jun, 2026

JAAC ban

TENSION has once again gripped Azad Jammu and Kashmir, with the region’s administration proscribing the Jammu...
GB election
07 Jun, 2026

GB election

THE Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly will be elected today by the people of that region. Yet again, themes like the...
ODI win
07 Jun, 2026

ODI win

AT last, the Pakistan cricket team had something to celebrate: a One-day International series victory against...
Trump rebuked
Updated 06 Jun, 2026

Trump rebuked

OBSERVERS across the world have long questioned the utility of Donald Trump’s now three-month-old war on Iran. But...
Hostile water motives
06 Jun, 2026

Hostile water motives

INDIA’S latest move to advance the Chenab-Beas Link Tunnel Project and its plan to flush silt from the Salal Dam...
Polio progress
06 Jun, 2026

Polio progress

PAKISTAN’S latest sub-national polio campaign offers encouraging evidence that the country can still push back...