Six killed, 81 hurt in Istanbul suicide bomb attack

ISTANBUL/ISLAMABAD: A bomb rocked a major pedestrian avenue in the heart of Istanbul on Sunday, killing six people, wounding at least 81 and sending people fleeing the fiery explosion. Turkey’s vice president said that a ‘suicide bomber’, appears to be a female, carried out Istanbul attack.

Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene on Istiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shopsIstiklal Avenue, a popular thoroughfare lined with shops and restaurants that leads to the iconic Taksim Square. In one video posted online, a loud bang could be heard and a flash seen as pedestrians turned and ran away, reported international media.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called the blast a “treacherous attack” and said its perpetrators would be punished. He did not say who was behind the attack but said it had the “smell of terror” without offering details and also adding that was not certain yet.

The president said investigations were ongoing by the police and the governor’s office, including reviewing footage of the area. Erdogan said six people were killed. Vice President Fuat Oktay later updated the wounded toll to 81, with two in serious condition, and also said it appeared to be a terrorist attack. Numerous foreign governments offered their condolences, including neighboring Greece with which relations are tense. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said he was “shocked and saddened by the news of the heinous attack.”

Turkey was hit by a string of bombings between 2015 and 2017 that left more than 500 civilians and security personnel dead. Some of the attacks were perpetrated by the Islamic State group, while others were executed by Kurdish militants who have led a decades long insurgency against the Turkish state for increased autonomy or independence.

Turkey has been fighting the militants — known as the PKK and considered a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union — in the country’s southeast for years.

Following the string of attacks, Turkey launched cross-border military operations into Syria and northern Iraq against Kurdish militants, while also cracking down on Kurdish politicians, journalists and activists at home through broad terror laws that critics say are a way to silence dissent.

Turkey’s media watchdog imposed temporary restrictions on reporting on Sunday’s explosion — a move that bans the use of close-up videos and photos of the blast and its aftermath. The Supreme Council of Radio and Television has imposed similar bans in the past, following attacks and accidents.

Access to some content on Twitter and other social media sites, such as videos, was limited. Meanwhile, President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday expressed their condolences to Turkiye over the loss of precious lives in Istanbul blast.

The president strongly condemned the explosion and expressed solidarity with the government and people of Turkiye over the incident. He said that they shared grief with the people of Turkiye. He said that terrorism was a collective issue of the world.

The president prayed for the departed souls and for the bereaved families to bear the loss with fortitude, President Secretariat Press Wing said in a press release. He also prayed for the quick recovery of injured people.

On his Twitter handle, the prime minister expressed his deep anguish over the explosion at Istiklal Avenue, Istanbul, and conveyed condolences to the brotherly people of Turkiye on part of the government of Pakistan and its people. The prime minister also prayed for the speedy recovery of those who had been injured in the explosion. “I have learnt with deep anguish about the explosion at popular Istiklal avenue in the heart of Istanbul. Govt & people of Pakistan express deepest condolences to the brotherly people of Turkiye at the loss of precious lives & send prayers for the speedy recovery of injured,” he posted in a tweet.

Meanwhile, former president of Pakistan and President Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians Asif Ali Zardari has condemned the bomb blast in Istanbul, Türkiye.

According to a communique issued, here on Sunday, former president Zardari expressed his deep sympathy and condolences to the Turkish government and to its people. He said the world must take practical measures to end terrorism and extremism, adding that attacking innocent people was an unforgivable act. Zardari also prayed for the swift recovery of those injured in the explosion.

Meanwhile, National Assembly (NA) Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Deputy Speaker Zahid Akram Durrani on Sunday condemned the blast near Taksim Square in Istanbul, Türkiye. “Pakistan, its government and Parliament stand with our Turkish brethren in this difficult time,” remarked the speaker and deputy speaker in a statement.

Expressing deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives in the blast, they conveyed their heartfelt condolences to the deceased families and prayed for the swift recovery of injured ones.