Pakistan’s Minister of Interior reported that a suicide bomber detonated explosives near a police vehicle outside an Islamabad district court on Tuesday, resulting in the death of 12 people and injuring 27 others.
The attacker attempted to enter the court premises but, failing to do so, targeted a police vehicle, as stated by Mohsin Naqvi, the Interior Minister. Naqvi confirmed that the blast was caused by a suicide bomber based on police investigations.
The explosion, which could be heard for kilometers, occurred when the area outside the court was bustling with hundreds of visitors.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, a breakaway faction of the Pakistani Taliban, claimed responsibility for the attack through messages from their leader, Omar Mukaram Khurasani. However, another prominent commander within the group, Sarbakaf Mohmand, disowned any involvement in the attack.
The group split from the Pakistani Taliban after its leader was killed in Afghanistan in 2022. While some members rejoined the TTP, others distanced themselves, indicating internal rifts among the insurgents.
Jamaat-ul-Ahrar, known for staging smaller attacks, striking the Pakistani capital is expected to add pressure to the government, grappling with a resurgent Pakistani Taliban, border issues, and a delicate ceasefire with Afghanistan.
Earlier reports from Pakistani state media and security officials suggested that a car bomb caused the explosion.
Minister Naqvi alleged, without providing evidence, that the attack was orchestrated by Indian-backed elements and Afghan Taliban proxies associated with the Pakistani Taliban. However, he mentioned that authorities are investigating all angles of the blast.
In response, Randhir Jaiswal, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, dismissed the Pakistani allegations as unfounded. He stated that the international community is aware of the truth and will not be misled by Pakistan’s diversionary tactics.
The attack received condemnation from various nations, including the United States, China, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Nations.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a thorough investigation and emphasized holding all terrorism perpetrators accountable.
Following the attack, chaos ensued outside the courthouse, with police swiftly securing the area as smoke billowed into the sky. Most casualties were bystanders or individuals present for court appointments, according to Islamabad police.
Nearby, the discovery of a severed head, believed to belong to the attacker, confirmed the suicide nature of the blast. The bomber, identified in CCTV footage, was not included in the official death toll of 12.
In a separate incident earlier on Tuesday, Pakistani security forces thwarted an attempt by militants to take cadets hostage at an army-run college overnight. A suicide car bomber and five other Pakistani Taliban members targeted the facility in a northwestern province.
The TTP denied involvement in the college attack, with the group gaining confidence following the Taliban’s takeover in Kabul in 2021, where many of its members sought refuge.
Recent years have seen a surge in militant attacks in Pakistan, with the deadliest being the 2014 assault on an army-run school in Peshawar, where Taliban gunmen killed 154 people, primarily children.
Tensions have escalated between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Kabul accusing Islamabad of drone strikes and both sides engaging in cross-border skirmishes until a ceasefire mediated by Qatar was established.
Peace talks between the two countries have been held but have failed to yield an agreement, with previous ceasefire attempts also collapsing due to accusations of violations.
