Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has cancelled all her Basant-related activities in light of the Islamabad tragedy, including the highly anticipated mega Basant show at Liberty Square.
Posting on social media platform X, she stated that the decision was taken to express national solidarity and condemned the Khwarji menace and their sympathisers. Following the deadly suicide blast at Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra in Islamabad’s Tarlai area, the Punjab chief minister immediately dispatched 25 fully equipped emergency ambulances to the capital. The attack, which occurred during Friday prayers, claimed the lives of at least 31 people and left 169 injured. Hospitals across Rawalpindi were placed on high alert to manage the surge of casualties.