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Outpourings of grief and prayers for victims of the deadly attack at the Imambargah Khadijah al-Kubra in Islamabad’s Tarlai area during Friday prayers continued to flood social media on Saturday, with many celebrities expressing their shock and horror online. The death toll from the incident has risen to 36, with over 100 others injured.

Pakistan’s celebrities, heartbroken by the tragic loss of life, sent messages of support to those affected.

Actors Yumna Zaidi and Maya Ali and singers Asim Azhar and Hadiqa Kiani asked everyone to pray for the fallen, the ones they left behind and the country to find peace.

Scenes of chaos emerged at Islamabad’s Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, which was overwhelmed with a deluge of casualties and weeping loved ones. Actor Mawra Hocane and comedian Ali Gul Pir posted appeals for people in the city to donate blood.

Actors Sheheryar Munawar and Adnan Siddiqui left messages of support. Munawar asked for God to have mercy while Siddiqui hoped the bereaved and injured could “find strength, comfort and healing in this unimaginably difficult time”.

Musicians Talal Qureshi and Abdul Hannan said their performances at Islamabad Eat scheduled for later in the day had been cancelled in solidarity with the victims. Both said they were deeply saddened by the tragedy and the victims remained in their thoughts.

Actors Mahira Khan and Ayesha Omar lamented the loss of innocent lives in the fight against terrorism. Filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat asked the all-important question: “Kitnay aur khoon ke dhabbay (How many more bloodstains)” must our people bear.

Activist Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Jr posted on X, regretting that “no one is safe in our beloved Pakistan”. He said the bombing left him in “tremendous grief and rage” and he demanded “that those responsible are brought to justice”.

Friday’s attack was the second to strike the capital in three months after an explosion rocked the Judicial Complex in G-11 on November 11. A dozen people were killed and at least 36 others were injured in that incident.

The recent attack was also the worst to hit Islamabad since September 2008, when a truck laden with explosives detonated outside the Marriott Hotel, killing 60 people.