November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing
Encyclopedia
The November 2009 Rawalpindi bombing was a suicide attack carried out in front of the Mall Road branch of National Bank of Pakistan
in Rawalpindi
, Pakistan
. The blast area was considered to be a very safe and high security place which was subjected to a 22-hour siege by militants. Taliban blamed for this deadly blast which occurred when Pakistan government announced £3m in rewards for the capture of the Taliban leadership.
A witness to the blast said, "We were sitting on the second floor of our office. It was a huge blast, Our building shook as if in an earthquake and when we came out there was smoke everywhere and body parts were thrown into our office."
Rescue teams have arrived on the blast area and emergency declared in major hospitals while many education institutions were closed in city and high security deployed in the sensitive areas.
, Prime Minister
Yousaf Raza Gillani
, and many religious leaders and local politicians.
National Bank of Pakistan
National Bank of Pakistan is one of the largest commercial bank operating in Pakistan. It has redefined its role and has moved from a public sector organisation into a modern commercial bank...
in Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi , locally known as Pindi, is a city in the Pothohar region of Pakistan near Pakistan's capital city of Islamabad, in the province of Punjab. Rawalpindi is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The blast area was considered to be a very safe and high security place which was subjected to a 22-hour siege by militants. Taliban blamed for this deadly blast which occurred when Pakistan government announced £3m in rewards for the capture of the Taliban leadership.
Blast
The blast occurred when an alleged suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew up himself outside the door of a local bank near Shalimar Hotel behind Pearl Continental Hotel, which is also a commercial area.A witness to the blast said, "We were sitting on the second floor of our office. It was a huge blast, Our building shook as if in an earthquake and when we came out there was smoke everywhere and body parts were thrown into our office."
Rescue teams have arrived on the blast area and emergency declared in major hospitals while many education institutions were closed in city and high security deployed in the sensitive areas.
Reaction
The blast provoked condemnations from President Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari is the 11th and current President of Pakistan and the Co-Chairman of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party . He is also the widower of Benazir Bhutto, who served two nonconsecutive terms as Prime Minister....
, Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Pakistan
The Prime Minister of Pakistan , is the Head of Government of Pakistan who is designated to exercise as the country's Chief Executive. By the Constitution of Pakistan, Pakistan has the parliamentary democratic system of government...
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousaf Raza Gillani
Yousuf Raza Gilani is the current prime minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan. He was nominated as Prime Minister by the PPP, with the support of its coalition partners, Pakistan Muslim League , Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam and Muttahida Qaumi Movement, on 22 March 2008...
, and many religious leaders and local politicians.
See also
- List of terrorist incidents in Pakistan since 2001
- List of terrorist incidents, 2009
- December 2009 Rawalpindi attackDecember 2009 Rawalpindi attackThe December 2009 Rawalpindi attack in Rawalpindi, Pakistan was a terrorist attack on a mosque during Friday prayers on December 4, 2009. The mosque is located near the Pakistan Army's headquarters in Rawalpindi, is surrounded by military houses and is frequented by retired and serving...