Pakistan compensates families of 40 victims killed in a Shiite mosque suicide bombing with over $700,000, the deadliest attack in Islamabad since 2008.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is paying more than $700,000 in compensation to the families of 40 people killed in a suicide bombing at a Shiite mosque in Islamabad this month.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s office confirmed the payments on Thursday, stating that relief cheques had been delivered to the heirs of 36 victims from the capital.

Each family received five million rupees, equivalent to around $17,800.

Cheques will also be delivered to four families of victims living outside Islamabad.

The statement marked the first official acknowledgement that 40 people were killed in the February 6 attack, which was claimed by the Islamic State group.

The bombing during Friday prayers was the deadliest in Islamabad since a 2008 truck bombing that killed 60 people at the Marriott Hotel.

Pakistan is a Sunni-majority nation, but Shiites make up between 10 and 15% of the population and have been frequent targets of sectarian violence.

The last major attack in the capital occurred in November, when a suicide blast outside a court killed 12 people.

The bombings coincide with Pakistani security forces battling intensifying insurgencies in provinces bordering Afghanistan.

Militant assaults killed 1,235 people last year, including 825 security personnel and 400 civilians.

 The Sun Malaysia