A suicide bomber killed at least 16 people in front of a district courts here, on late Tuesday evening minutes ahead of a planned address by Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry to the lawyers and the political activists.
Most of the dead were said to be the workers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). The powerful blast also wounded more than 40. Over a dozen were in critical condition, doctors said.
Eyewitnesses said that they believed some of them, who died and injured were women, many in their teens. They were gathered at a decorated stall to accord a welcome to Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry. "I have counted seven bodies. All were young girls," A frightened witness told to the correspondents at the scene just moments after the attack.
An ambulance driver who transported dead and injured to hospitals also confirmed women and girls were among causalities. He was not sure about the exact number though. But Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao said only two women were killed.
Another eyewitness said many females of both PPP and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) were chanting slogans at their separate enclosures few yards away from each other. The explosion occurred near PPP marquee.
These correspondents saw pieces of flesh and broken glasses scattered within more than 100 meters radius. A photograph by Business Recorder Mazhar A Khan captured blood and a body without lower half.
Those who were at the scene said they saw flesh and sand going several feet up in the air. These correspondents saw parts of human bodies lying on the road. The lawyers and locals rushed the victims to the hospitals where an emergency was declared. Dozens of ambulances from nearby hospitals and Edhi Foundation were driven to the scene immediately.
The blast occurred when Chief Justice was on his way from his official residence to the venue of the rally arranged by Islamabad District Bar Council. The distance between two places is hardly five kilometers.
It was not sure whether Iftikhar Chaudhry was the target of the suicide bomber or it was revenge against PPP. Angry lawyers chanted anti-Musharraf slogans to vent fury when the chief judge later turned up in a dark Pajero being driven by his counsel and a PPP leader Chaudhry Aitzaz Ahsan.
A television journalist who was covering preparations before the chief justice arrival at the venue said explosion was so loud that he felt his ears would burst. It also came days before the Supreme Court is expected to decide whether to allow or overturn the March 9 suspension of Chaudhry by Musharraf.
A media report said as many as eight suicide bombers has entered into the federal capital to launch retaliatory attacks on key government figures. A threat of suicide bombing on capital's two five-star hotels also spread a scare in the day.
Meanwhile, President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister have condemned the latest terrorist attack in Islamabad and condoled with the bereaved families whose kith and kin had lost their lives in this dastardly act. They asked the authorities to provide best possible medical treatment to the injured and immediately inquire into the matter.