ISLAMABAD: Hanif Masih, a man in his mid-50s and father of groom Sharoon Hanif, was jubilant just a day earlier when celebrations returned to his home after almost two years, following the marriage of his elder son.
However, he was unaware that the wedding ceremony of his younger son would bring lifelong pain and grief, costing him almost all his close relatives.
An explosion reportedly caused by gas leakage killed at least eight people, including four of Mr Masih immediate family members, in Sector G-7 of the federal capital and left several others injured on Sunday morning.
Talking to media persons, Hanif said he was in a room constructed adjacent to the house, while all other family members were inside the main house.
What began as a wedding celebration for Hanif Masih ended in tragedy when a gas blast in G-7 sectordestroyed his family
“At around 7:15am, I heard a blast. I rushed towards the house and saw that everything had been destroyed. A large number of guests were already present because of my son’s marriage ceremony. Due to the blast, I have lost many relatives, including my newlywed son, his wife, my wife and my other daughter-in-law, while my daughter has been seriously injured,” he said.
Replying to a question, he said that since the guests had remained awake until around 3am, most of them were sleeping at the time of the incident.
The newly-married couple who died in the blast. — White Star
Sohail Romi, who was present at the site of the incident, told Dawn that both the bride and groom were his relatives.
“The baraat had arrived from Gujrat on Saturday night at 66 Quarters in G-7/2, Islamabad, and the walima reception was scheduled for Sunday noon. To my knowledge, the gas remained open during the night, and in the morning someone lit a matchstick, which caused the gas to catch fire and led to the explosion,” he said.
Mr Romi, who is also the General Secretary of the PPP Minority Wing Rawalpindi, said the bride’s family had already booked a bus from Gujrat to attend the walima and had planned to take the bride with them for a few days.
“However, after receiving the tragic news, they delayed their departure from Gujrat and reached Islamabad by 3pm in the same bus. It was decided to bury six bodies on Sunday at the Christian graveyard in Sector H-8. The remaining two bodies were to be buried on Monday [today],” he said.
William Pervez, a resident of the area, told Dawn that the worst affected was Yaqoob Masih, a resident of a neighbouring house, who lost his two sons.
“Yaqoob was out of the city. His two sons were sleeping in their house when the roof suddenly collapsed due to the blast, killing both on the spot. It was decided that the burial of Yaqoob’s two sons would be held on Monday [today],” he said.
Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2026
