ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that he had directed authorities to submit an "immediate report on the condemnable, cowardly terrorist attack" in Quetta on Friday, which claimed the lives of 15 people including a senior police official.

In a tweet, the premier hailed the martyred deputy superintendent of police (DSP) as a "brave and exemplary officer". He added that he had asked the Balochistan government to ensure the injured victims are provided with medical facilities.

"I have demanded an immediate report on the condemnable cowardly terrorist attack in Quetta targeting a mosque and people at prayers. Have asked provincial govt to ensure all medical facilities are provided to the injured. Martyred DSP Haji Amanullah was a brave and exemplary officer," the prime minister tweeted.

A deadly blast had ripped through a mosque during evening prayers on Friday night in Quetta, killing 15 people, including DSP Amanullah. At least 19 people were reported to be injured in the attack, which authorities said was a suicide blast.

The injured and the deceased were shifted to Quetta's Civil Hospital while an emergency was imposed in all hospitals of the city.

The director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations, Maj Gen Asif Ghafoor, had also tweeted yesterday, announcing that Frontier Corps personnel had reached the blast site and were carrying out a search operation along with police. “Every possible assistance be given to police and civil administration,” the tweet quoted Army Chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa as saying, adding that “those who targeted innocents in a mosque can never be true Muslim.”