Islamabad fruit vendors say bombing will not deter them

ISLAMABAD: A day after a deadly bombing claimed 24 lives, vendors at the Islamabad fruit and vegetable market say they will not be deterred.

Traders and local residents gathered at the blast site to witness the damage caused by the bombing.

Mohammad Akhtar, a labourer at a fruit market, said such incidents would not shake residents.

"Whatever bombing they do will not deter us. It will not frighten us. God has given us courage. We are not afraid of these things."

Severed fruit boxes were scattered throughout the market, located between Islamabad and its twin city of Rawalpindi. Police said the bomb was hidden in a box of guava fruit.

The Pakistan Taliban condemned the attack and blamed it on "hidden hands".