On 16 February 2017, a
suicide bombing
A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
took place inside the
Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
The Shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar (; ) is a Dargah, shrine and mausoleum dedicated to the 13th century Muslim and Sufi saint, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar. The shrine is located in Sehwan Sharif, in the Pakistani province of Sindh. The shrine is one of ...
in
Sehwan,
Sindh
Sindh ( ; ; , ; abbr. SD, historically romanized as Sind (caliphal province), Sind or Scinde) is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Geography of Pakistan, southeastern region of the country, Sindh is t ...
,
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, where pilgrims were performing a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
ritual after the
evening prayers.
At least 90 people were killed and over 300 injured.
The
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant – Khorasan Province
Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number 2 billion worldwide and are the world's second-largest religious populatio ...
claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Services at the shrine were resumed the next day in an act of defiance against terrorists, while leading Pakistani performers partook in the traditional
Sufi whirling
Sufi whirling (or Sufi turning) ( borrowed from Persian Sama-zan, Sama, meaning ''listening'', from Arabic, and zan, meaning doer, from Persian) is a form of physically active meditation which originated among certain Sufism, Sufi groups, and w ...
dance at the shrine a few days later as a protest against the radical
Islamist perpetrators.
The attack followed a series of
terrorist incidents earlier in the month, including a
suicide attack
A suicide attack (also known by a wide variety of other names, see below) is a deliberate attack in which the perpetrators knowingly sacrifice their own lives as part of the attack. These attacks are a form of murder–suicide that is ofte ...
in
Lahore
Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...
. Pakistani authorities alleged that the attacks were orchestrated by
jihadist
Jihadism is a neologism for modern, armed militant Political aspects of Islam, Islamic movements that seek to Islamic state, establish states based on Islamic principles. In a narrower sense, it refers to the belief that armed confrontation ...
s in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
.
Bombing
The suicide bomber struck the pilgrims during a
dhamaal
''Dhamaal'' () is a 2007 Indian Hindi-language comedy film directed by Indra Kumar and produced by Ashok Thakeria. The film stars Sanjay Dutt, Riteish Deshmukh, Arshad Warsi, Aashish Chaudhary and Javed Jaffrey in the lead roles, with Asr ...
(ritual dance) after the evening prayers.
The bomber threw a grenade which failed to explode.
Then he blew himself up inside the shrine hall under the dome, near its Golden Gate.
The bomber, believed to be an Afghan national, had bypassed the security check at the shrine.
At least 21 children were believed to be among the dead.
The bomber used a
suicide jacket, with the
ball bearings
A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races.
The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...
in the jacket acting as shrapnel and causing casualties.
Aftermath
The injured and deceased were immediately shifted to the Taluka Medical Hospital
which was not equipped with a trauma centre to deal with emergency cases.
The medical facilities in Sehwan were basic, and some of the injured were in critical condition.
A state of emergency was declared for all hospitals in the neighbouring areas.
Pakistan Navy
The Pakistan Navy (PN) (; ''romanized'': Pākistān Bahrí'a; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The Chief of the Naval Staff, a four-star admiral, commands the navy and is a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Com ...
helicopters and a
Pakistan Air Force
The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) (; ) is the aerial warfare branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces, tasked primarily with the aerial defence of Pakistan, with a secondary role of providing air support to the Pakistan Army and Pakistan Navy when re ...
C-130
The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
were dispatched for rescue operations.
Hours after the attack, law enforcement agencies launched a nationwide crackdown and search operation, during which over 100 militants were killed and scores arrested. Several insurgents were confronted in Sindh and
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
. Weapons, including hand grenades, were recovered from their hideouts.
Police arrested a suspected facilitator in connection to the Sehwan attack from Johi, a town in Sindh's
Dadu District
Dadu District (), () is a Districts of Pakistan, district of Sindh, Sindh Province, Pakistan. With headquarters in the city of Dadu, Pakistan, Dadu, the district was created in 1931 by merging Kotri and Mahal Kohistan (later Jamshoro) tehsils fro ...
.
On 22 February 2017, a few days after attack, Pakistan Military launched
Operation Radd-ul-Fasaad to eliminate terrorism.
Resumption of daily services
The next morning, the shrine's caretaker continued the daily tradition of ringing the shrine's bell at 3:30 am, and said that he would not be intimidated by terrorists. The shrine's ''dhamaal'', or meditative dancing ceremony, resumed the evening following the attack. A few days later, several leading Pakistani artists and performers partook in a ''dhamaal'' at the shrine as a defiant response to radical
Islamists.
Reactions
Domestic
Prime Minister
Nawaz Sharif
Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif (born 25 December 1949) is a Pakistani politician and businessman who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Pakistan, prime minister of Pakistan for three non-consecutive terms, first serving from 1990 to 1993, then ...
condemned the blast,
and said that "an attack on the shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalandar is an attack on the progressive and inclusive future of Pakistan."
A statement released by the military's
Inter-Services Public Relations
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) () is the media and public relations wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces. It broadcasts and coordinates military news and information to the country's Media of Pakistan, civilian media and the Pakistani ...
(ISPR) stated that the army chief, General
Qamar Javed Bajwa
Qamar Javed Bajwa (; born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani four-star general who served as the tenth chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018, he was ranked 68th in the ''Forbes'' list of ...
, had ordered that immediate assistance be provided to civil authorities.
Bajwa said "Each drop of the nation's blood shall be revenged, and revenged immediately. No more restraint for anyone."
The
Governor of Sindh
The governor of Sindh is the appointed head of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. The office of the governor as the head of the province is largely a ceremonial position; the executive powers lie with the Chief Secretary of Sindh, Chief Secretary ...
,
Mohammad Zubair, condemned the blast and said "Sindh is a land of the Sufis. The terrorists have targeted the devotees to achieve their nefarious designs."
The
Government of Sindh
The Government of Sindh () () is the provincial government of the province of Sindh, Pakistan. Its powers and structure are set out in the provisions of the 1973 Constitution, in which 30 Districts of 7 Divisions under its authority and ju ...
announced three days of mourning in Sindh, while the governments of
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (; ; , ; abbr. KP or KPK), formerly known as the North West Frontier Province (NWFP), is a Administrative units of Pakistan, province of Pakistan. Located in the Northern Pakistan, northwestern region of the country, Khyber ...
and
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; , ), also spelled as Baluchistan or Baluchestan, is a historical region in West and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. This arid region o ...
also announced a day of mourning in their respective provinces.
Strikes on Afghan camps
ISPR spokesman, Major General
Asif Ghafoor, tweeted: "Recent terrorist acts are being executed on directions from hostile powers and from sanctuaries in
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
. We shall defend and respond".
A few hours after the incident, the
Pakistan-Afghanistan border was sealed indefinitely for security reasons. On 17 February, the
Pakistan Army
The Pakistan Army (, ), commonly known as the Pak Army (), is the Land warfare, land service branch and the largest component of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The president of Pakistan is the Commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the army. The ...
summoned
Afghan embassy officials to the
General Headquarters and handed over a list of 76 insurgents hiding in Afghanistan. The army demanded that
Kabul
Kabul is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province. The city is divided for administration into #Districts, 22 municipal districts. A ...
take "immediate action" or have them "handed over to Pakistan".
The same day, army chief
Qamar Javed Bajwa
Qamar Javed Bajwa (; born 11 November 1960) is a retired Pakistani four-star general who served as the tenth chief of the Army Staff of Pakistan from 29 November 2016 to 29 November 2022. In 2018, he was ranked 68th in the ''Forbes'' list of ...
made a telephone call to the general commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan,
John W. Nicholson, and expressed concern over such incidents in Pakistan linked to safe havens in Afghanistan. Bajwa stated "Such terrorist activities and inaction against them are testing our current policy of cross border restraint" and urged Nicholson for cooperation in dismantling the militant networks, in addition to briefing him about the list of wanted terrorists. Later, Pakistani security forces destroyed a dozen
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar camps across the border in eastern Afghanistan, and killed over a dozen militants including a top trainer of suicide bombers. The strikes were confirmed by Afghan sources, who said that several Pakistani artillery rounds had hit
Nangarhar Province
Nangarhār (Pashto: ; Dari: ), also called Nangrahar or Ningrahar, is one of the 34 provinces of Afghanistan, located in the eastern part of the country and Border, bordering Logar Province, Logar, Kabul Province, Kabul, Laghman Province, Laghm ...
's
Lal Pur District and that "15 to 20 terrorists, among them Commander Rehman Baba, have been killed and many more injured." The Afghan foreign ministry also protested the shelling by Pakistan on its territory.
International
* : President
Ashraf Ghani
Mohammad Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai (born 19 May 1949) is an Afghan former politician and economist who served as the president of Afghanistan from September 2014 until August 2021, when his government was 2021 Taliban offensive, overthrown by the Ta ...
condemned the attack, stating that "terrorists once again, proved that they have no respect for Islamic values". Chief Executive
Abdullah Abdullah
Abdullah Abdullah (Dari language, Dari, , ; born Abdullah; 5 September 1960) is an Afghan politician who led the High Council for National Reconciliation (HCNR) from May 2020 until August 2021, when the Afghan government was Fall of Kabul (2021), ...
also condemned the attack and offered sympathy to the families of victims and people of Pakistan.
* : Ambassador Andrei Ermolovich condemned the Sehwan blast while expressing solidarity with Pakistan. He also said that Belarus stands with Pakistan in its efforts for elimination of terrorism.
* : President
Xi Jinping
Xi Jinping, pronounced (born 15 June 1953) is a Chinese politician who has been the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Chairman of the Central Military Commission (China), chairman of the Central Military Commission ...
condemned the attack and offered sympathy to the Pakistani people. He said that China "will stand ready to firmly support Pakistan in its effort to fight terrorism, maintain national stability and safeguard its people". Chinese Premier
Li Keqiang
Li Keqiang ( zh, s=李克强, p=Lǐ Kèqiáng; 3 July 1955 – 27 October 2023) was a Chinese economist and politician who served as the seventh premier of China from 2013 to 2023. He was also the second-ranked member of the Politburo Standing ...
also expressed shock and condemned the attack.
* : The Indian external affairs ministry strongly condemned the attack on the Lal Qalandar shrine at Sehwan and offered their sympathies to Pakistani people.
* : A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "Japan is shocked and saddened by the suicide attack".
* : President
Almazbek Atambayev
Almazbek Sharshenovich Atambayev (born 17 September 1956) is a Kyrgyzstani politician who served as the fourth president of Kyrgyzstan from 2011 to 2017. He previously served as the 11th prime minister of Kyrgyzstan from 2010 to 2011, and from ...
expressed sorrow and offered condolences over the terrorist attack.
* : President
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who has served as President of Russia since 2012, having previously served from 2000 to 2008. Putin also served as Prime Minister of Ru ...
expressed condolences over the incident, while reaffirming Russia's "readiness to further step up counter-terrorist cooperation" with Pakistan.
* : President
Emomali Rahmon
Emomali Rahmon ( ; born 5 October 1952), born Emomali Sharipovich Rahmanov, is a Tajik politician who has served as the President of Tajikistan since 1994, having previously led the country as Chairman of the Supreme Assembly (Tajikistan), Su ...
offered condolence adding that the Tajik people "are deeply saddened by the tragic news".
* : Acting
State Department
The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...
deputy spokesman
Mark Toner said the U.S. condemned the suicide bombing and offered its "support to the Pakistani government as it works to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice". He added: "We stand with the people of Pakistan in their fight against terrorism and remain committed to the security of the South Asia region."
See also
*
*
Sufism in Pakistan
Sufism, known as Tasawwuf in the Arabic-speaking world, is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasizes introspection and spiritual closeness with God. About 60% Muslims in Pakistan regard themselves as followers of Sufi saints.
Sufi tra ...
*
Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2017
References
{{Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
2017 murders in Pakistan
Suicide bombings in 2017
2010s in Sindh
21st-century mass murder in Pakistan
Afghanistan–Pakistan relations
Mosque bombings in Pakistan
February 2017 crimes in Asia
ISIL terrorist incidents in Pakistan
Islamic terrorist incidents in 2017
Jamshoro District
Lal Shahbaz Qalandar
Mass murder in 2017
Mass murder in Sindh
February 2017 in Pakistan
2017 building bombings
Sufism in Sindh
Suicide bombings in Sindh
Terrorist incidents in Pakistan in 2017
Attacks on buildings and structures in Sindh