China is “deeply shocked” by Friday’s attack, the foreign ministry said in a statement.
An attacker opened fire at the gates of the mosque before setting off a suicide bomb and killing at least 31 people in the deadliest attack of its kind in Pakistan’s capital in more than a decade.
The explosion went off just as worshippers were offering Friday prayers at Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra on the outskirts of Islamabad. The blast was so powerful that it was heard within a radius of hundreds of metres, whipping up fear and panic among residents.
Briefing the media, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal confirmed that the death toll from the suicide blast rose to 32, while the number of injured climbed to 162.
The health minister said that 149 injured people were shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), while 13 were taken to the Polyclinic Hospital for treatment.