China ‘deeply shocked’ by attack on Islamabad mosque, pledges support for Pakistan

China condemned the attack on a Shi’ite mosque in Islamabad and on Sunday pledged its support for the Pakistani government’s efforts to “maintain national security and stability.”

China is "deeply shocked" by Friday's attack, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

An assailant opened fire at the mosque’s entrance before detonating a suicide bomb, killing at least 31 people in the deadliest attack of its kind in Pakistan’s capital in over a decade.

The Islamic State group (IS) claimed responsibility for the attack, which was the deadliest in Islamabad since the 2008 bombing of the Marriott hotel, as reported by AFP.

City authorities said the explosion at the Imam Bargah Qasr-e-Khadijatul Kubra mosque on the outskirts of the capital killed 31 people and injured 169 others, with officials warning that the death toll could increase, according to the report.

The blast struck during Friday prayers, a time when mosques are typically filled with worshippers.

"The attacker was stopped at the gate and detonated himself," a security source told AFP.

Muhammad Kazim, 52, said an "extremely powerful" explosion ripped through the building as prayers were just starting.

Another worshipper, Imran Mahmood, told AFP there was a gunfight between the bomber and volunteer security personnel at the mosque.

"The suicide attacker was trying to move forward, but one of our injured volunteers fired at him from behind, hitting him in the thigh," he told AFP.

He then "detonated the explosives", Mahmood added.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif vowed that those behind the blast would be found and brought to justice.

Pakistan is predominantly Sunni, though Shiites account for roughly 10 to 15 percent of the population and have previously been targets of violence across the country.

The most recent major attack in Islamabad before Friday occurred in November, when a suicide bombing outside a court killed 12 people and injured dozens, marking the capital’s first such incident in nearly three years.

In Balochistan, separatist insurgents carried out attacks last week that left 36 civilians and 22 security personnel dead, triggering a series of counter-operations in which authorities said nearly 200 militants were killed.

Friday’s bombing was the deadliest attack in Islamabad since September 2008, when a suicide truck bomb destroyed part of the five-star Marriott Hotel, killing 60 people.

(With inputs from agencies)