The Pakistani government has initiated substantial compensation payments totaling over $700,000 to families affected by the devastating suicide bombing that targeted a Shiite mosque in Islamabad earlier this month. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office confirmed Thursday that relief checks have been distributed to the heirs of 36 victims from the capital region, with additional payments being processed for four families residing outside Islamabad.
The February 6 attack, which occurred during Friday prayers when mosques typically experience peak attendance, represents the deadliest assault on the capital since the 2008 Marriott Hotel bombing that claimed 60 lives. The Islamic State (Daesh) has claimed responsibility for the latest tragedy, which marks the first official acknowledgment of 40 fatalities despite previous uncertainty surrounding the final death toll.
Each victim’s family is receiving approximately $17,800 (5 million Pakistani rupees) in government compensation. This attack underscores the persistent security challenges facing Pakistan’s religious minorities, particularly the Shiite community that constitutes 10-15% of the predominantly Sunni nation’s population.
The bombing occurs against a backdrop of escalating militant violence across Pakistan’s border regions with Afghanistan. Official statistics reveal that 2025 witnessed 1,235 fatalities from militant assaults, including 825 security personnel and 400 civilians, with 27 suicide attacks reported nationwide. This incident follows a November suicide blast outside an Islamabad court that killed 12 people, ending a nearly three-year period of relative calm in the capital.