November 2009 Rawalpindi Bombing

In November 2009, a suicide attack occurred in front of the Mall Road branch of the National Bank of Pakistan in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. The bombing took place near the Shalimar and Pearl Continental hotels, in an area that was considered to be a very safe and high-security location within the city.

The attack was carried out by a suicide bomber riding a motorcycle who detonated explosives outside the bank. The blast caused significant destruction in the surrounding area. A witness described the moment of the explosion, stating that they were on the second floor of a nearby office when the blast occurred: "We were sitting on the second floor of our office. It was a huge blast, our building shook as if in an earthquake, and when we came out there was smoke everywhere and body parts were thrown into our office."

In the aftermath, rescue teams were dispatched to the blast site and an emergency was declared at major hospitals in the city. Many educational institutions in Rawalpindi were closed following the attack, and security teams were deployed to sensitive areas as a precautionary measure.

Tehrik-i-Taliban was blamed for the bombing. The attack is noted to have occurred at a time when the Pakistani government had announced a reward of £3 million for information leading to the capture of the Taliban leadership.

The bombing drew condemnation from senior Pakistani officials, including President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani, as well as from religious leaders and local politicians.

This incident is listed among terrorist incidents in Pakistan during 2009 and is related to, but distinct from, the subsequent December 2009 Rawalpindi attack.