“No space for the dead bodies”: Doctors describe night of horror after Islamabad blast

By MNTV Staff Writer

ISLAMABAD (MNTV) — When the first ambulances began arriving at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) on Friday evening, the doctors knew immediately this was unlike anything they had seen before.

Within minutes, the hospital’s emergency department transformed into a war zone of blood, chaos, and desperate attempts to save lives.

“We had no space to even keep the dead bodies,” Dr. Mujahid Gilani, head of the intensive care unit in the burns department at PIMS, told MNTV in an exclusive interview.

“There were white cloths covering bodies everywhere. I personally saw 15 to 20 dead bodies. The influx was so massive, we couldn’t even count properly.”

The suicide bombing at Khadija Tul Kubra mosque in Tarlai Kalan claimed at least 31 lives and sent 169 wounded to hospitals across Islamabad.

But it was PIMS that bore the brunt of the medical emergency, receiving 121 wounded victims in a matter of hours.

“No calls. No orders. Just purpose”

What happened next, according to the medical staff, was an unprecedented mobilization of Pakistan’s healthcare workers.

“Yesterday, terror tried to break us,” Professor Dr. Mumtaz Niazi, a senior surgeon at PIMS, told MNTV.

“When the bomb blast victims flooded PIMS, the scale was overwhelming. For a moment, it felt impossible.”

But then something remarkable happened. Doctors, nurses, technicians, and staff members who weren’t even on duty began arriving at the hospital.

“No calls. No orders. Just purpose,” Dr. Niazi said. “Everyone ran towards the suffering, not away from it.”

Dr. Gilani confirmed that all heads of departments, all postgraduate residents, and all house officers reported for duty.

“The surgery department was most active. All our seniors, all anesthetists were present. We spent the entire night operating.”

22 critical surgeries simultaneously

Dr. Manal, a postgraduate resident at PIMS, described scenes she said she would never forget.

“We performed 30 laparotomies,” she told MNTV, referring to emergency abdominal surgeries.

“Most of the wounds were abdominal injuries from the blast.”

According to Dr. Gilani, 22 critical patients underwent surgery simultaneously, something that had never happened before at PIMS.

“All our operating theatres were occupied. Surgeries continued throughout the night,” he said.

The hospital faced an immediate crisis: not enough beds for the critically wounded.

Eight patients were admitted to the ICU, but the facility quickly ran out of space.

“We had a beds shortage. We utilized beds from other departments,” Dr. Gilani explained.

“Blast happened when we were in prostration”

Among the chaos of the emergency ward, victims who could speak shared harrowing details with the medical staff.

“Patients told us the blast happened when they were in sajda,” Dr. Gilani said, referring to the prostration position during Islamic prayer.

“Can you imagine? They were in the most sacred position of prayer when this happened.”

The emotional toll on families was devastating.

One family member, standing outside the emergency ward with blood-stained clothes, asked a question that has haunted the hospital staff.

“Is it a sin to even pray?” the family member said to Dr. Gilani.

“Would we be killed for praying?”

Battle against time

Dr. Niazi described the coordination inside PIMS as teams working “like one heartbeat.”

“Operating theatres lit up. Eyes were heavy with grief. Hands were steady with skill,” he said.

“Hours later, the emergency was calm. No patient left. No life ignored.”

But the battle is far from over.

Dr. Gilani said two patients remain in critical condition. “One patient may not survive. The second is also very critical,” he said Saturday evening.

The medical staff worked through exhaustion, grief, and the sheer magnitude of injuries they were treating.

Adults and children arrived on stretchers, carried by their arms and legs, with blood-soaked clothing.

Some victims arrived in the boots of cars, such was the desperation to get them to hospital.

“This is what service to humanity looks like”

Despite the trauma of the night, Dr. Niazi expressed pride in his colleagues’ response.

“This is PIMS. This is what service to humanity looks like,” he said. “Proud. Humbled. Grateful.”

The attack, claimed by ISIL, targeted worshippers during Friday prayers at the Shia mosque.

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said security guards tried to intercept the attacker, who opened fire before detonating explosives among the worshippers.

As of Saturday evening, families continued to gather outside PIMS, waiting for news of their loved ones.

Inside, the medical staff who worked through the night remained on duty, monitoring the critical patients whose lives still hang in the balance.

For the doctors and nurses of PIMS, Friday, February 6, 2026, will be remembered as the night Islamabad’s medical community came together in the face of unprecedented tragedy: running toward the suffering when terror tried to break them.