Islamabad: A suicide bomber detonated explosives near a police vehicle outside a court in Pakistan’s capital on Tuesday, killing at least 12 people and injuring 27 others, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed.
The blast occurred at 12:39 p.m. (local time) near the gate of the Islamabad District Judicial Complex in the G-11 area. According to Naqvi, the attacker attempted to enter the court premises but, failing to do so, detonated the explosives close to a police vehicle parked at the entrance.
Among the victims were police personnel and a lawyer. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, though such assaults are often carried out by the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
“Our first priority is to identify the attacker. Once the process is complete, details will be shared with the media,” Naqvi told reporters after visiting the blast site. He added that the investigation is ongoing and that those sponsoring militants in Pakistan have “tripled their funding.”
“We are connecting today’s attack with several factors, which will become clearer in the coming hours,” he said, adding, “I don’t want to make premature statements like others often do. We will present full evidence.”
Naqvi also reiterated that Pakistan has warned Afghanistan to curb terrorism originating from its soil, cautioning that Islamabad would “be forced to take action” if the situation persists.
Both President Asif Ali Zardari and Defence Minister Khawaja Asif condemned the attack, describing it as a “suicide blast.” Zardari extended condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for the recovery of the injured.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said the attack carried a “message from Kabul,” suggesting the Afghan Taliban’s complicity. “The rulers of Kabul can stop terrorism in Pakistan, but bringing this war to Islamabad sends a message to which Pakistan is fully capable of responding,” he said in a post on X.
He warned that Pakistan was “in a state of war,” stressing that the Islamabad attack was a wake-up call. “Anyone who thinks the Pakistan Army’s fight is limited to the Afghan border or Balochistan should reconsider — this is a war for all of Pakistan,” he added.
State-run Pakistan Television (PTV) reported that 12 bodies were recovered and shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) Hospital, while 20 injured individuals were admitted to its emergency ward. It added that the “suicide bomber’s head was found lying on the road.”
The attack came just days after a third round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban failed to reach an agreement on addressing cross-border terrorism.
Pakistan has recently witnessed a sharp rise in terrorist attacks, particularly in regions bordering Afghanistan, with militants frequently targeting police and security personnel.
On Monday, six people were injured in a separate suicide attack outside a Cadet College in South Waziristan’s Wana area, which officials said was also carried out by the banned TTP.
The Pakistan government has previously designated the TTP as “Fitna al-Khawarij” — a historical term used for a violent extremist faction in early Islamic history.
With PTI inputs